


Prism

by EchoingHowls



Category: Banana Bus Squad, The Misfits (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Colors, Different species, Dimension Travel, Gen, M/M, Magic, Monsters, Saving the World, Slow Burn, running out of time
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-19
Updated: 2019-11-11
Packaged: 2020-01-16 08:04:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 21,801
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18517330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EchoingHowls/pseuds/EchoingHowls
Summary: A universe separated by blinding streaks of light.Three hold peace.One split into eight.Off balance, off-kilterCauses light to flickerThe once equivalenceNow shattered benevolenceAs darkness blots out the rainbow





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys!  
> I'm going to be gone when I usually post cf, (and I'm behind on writing cf chapters anyway), so I figured,  
> Why not post one of the stories I've been writing in the background?
> 
> Hope you enjoy the first chapter of Prism! <3

Brick walls stretched toward a pale sky.  
Gray on black on white.  
Streets of dark slate with shinning black cars packed with important people driving past.  
Women dressed in varying shades of gray clicked past on black and white heels.  
Their curled hair bounced in light and dark grays.  
The white sun warmed passing faces on their way to their jobs.  
Swarms of people waited for the stoplight to change as horse-drawn carriages clip-clopped past.  
The black and white dappled horses huffed as they were pulled to a stop by the red light.  
The mass of gray-shaded people stepped forward in an orderly group.  
People separated into crowds.  
What women who weren’t at home, headed toward hospitals.  
Men headed toward what few jobs hadn’t been taken by machines and robots, including one young man who was sat down in his cubicle and handed a story word-for-word how he was supposed to present it on on the newspaper article that would appear on everyone’s doorstep.  
The white and ink newspapers would be delivered by steely gray drones at exactly when the tick-tock-clocks struck 6 pm.  
Then, the moment paper hit concrete, people would be released from their black-and-white jobs to return to a grayscale sunset, and read the same words that had been printed that morning about the improvements in schools thanks to new technology, and the better treatment transportation horses got thanks to the grocery robot’s new routing systems.  
Then, when the white stars peeked from their raven-colored blanket high above the gray clouds, children with gray and black eyes would close them to return to the office desks in their mind as they shuffled through paperwork covered in grey crayon.

***

Evan lifted his head from his pillow as his alarm pinged for 6 am.  
He pulled his white blankets off and stood, tucking his sheets into place before walking toward his gray wardrobe and slipping his pale sweatshirt and sweatpants off before pulling on a white button-down shirt and black jeans. He tugged on white socks and black dress shoes, styling his hair back and brushing his teeth before taking steady steps into his gray and white kitchen.  
He prepared his eggs and toast that he had every morning, and poured himself a cup of milk before sitting at his table.  
He finished his breakfast in exactly fifteen minutes, then placed his dishes in his automatic washer.  
He left his apartment, the fingerprint handle clicking locked behind him.

Fifteen identical locks clicked in time with his.  
Only fourteen other twenty-year-old young men spiraled down the stairs, then they joined a herd of people on their walk to their careers.  
After a walk where groups split to enter their jobs, passing cars and carriages, the fourteen young men turned into their newspaper office.  
They walked in and sat at fourteen identical cubicles, then began typing fourteen identical papers.

Evan typed away at his keyboard, watching the letters appear on the screen in time with his fingers.  
His coal-colored eyes tracked the words and letters, flickering between the computer screen and the tablet screen that showed what he was supposed to replicate.  
A phone began to ring, and all tapping at keyboards stopped at the same instant.  
Phones didn’t ring at this time of day.  
Evan could feel the vibrations of his phone travel through his desk, his heart stuttering at the touch and sound.  
The device was face down, the black case buzzing loudly as the call continued to ring.  
Evan could feel all eyes boring into him.  
His phone was going against the routine.  
He was going against the normality by not answering it.  
He slowly moved to pick up the device, eyes reading the name on the screen.  
_Tyler_.  
Evan knew that name.  
He turned to look at the identical but empty desk that neighboured his own, then looked back at the screen.  
He pressed answer.

“Hello?”  
His voice echoed eerily in the silent room as every pair of eyes continued their accusing yet curious glare.  
“Evan! Oh thank gear you answered,”  
Tyler sounded near breathless on the other line, and Evan furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.  
He had seen his friend leave his apartment that morning; so where was he?  
“Alright, Ev, I need you to do me a favor.”  
Evan didn’t like the nervousness that made his toes tingle.  
He wasn’t used to it.  
He wanted the routine of everyday life to return.  
He wanted the phone call to end so everyone would take their eyes off of him.  
“What is it?”  
Evan mumbled cautiously, not daring to glance into the rest of the office as black and white gazes burned his clothing.  
“I need you to leave.”  
“What?”  
Evan’s heart stuttered with surprise.  
That went against the routine.  
The most someone had ever asked him for was to point him in the direction of their cubicle, and Tyler wanted him to-  
“Just trust me, Evan. You will not be in trouble. You are allowed to leave, your bosses have given you special permission.”  
Evan bit his lower lip.  
He heard someone gasp at the anxious movement, but he ignored it.  
“T-Tyler, that- I can’t-”  
“Evan, this is important. I need your help.”

Evan closed his eyes.  
Black in a world of grays.  
The office was quiet enough to hear himself breathe.  
Tyler had always seemed different.  
A little too loud, a little too tall, a little too friendly.  
He laughed and told jokes when their professors weren’t watching, and tripped robots in the streets to watch them struggle to stand back up.  
Tyler didn’t mind when the eyes were on him.  
Evan did, but he trusted Tyler.

“Fine, I’m on my way.”  
Evan faintly heard Tyler let out a cheer before he returned to the phone,  
“Thank you so much! I’ll be outside the door waiting for you.”

 

Evan swallowed when the phone clicked, signaling the end of the call.  
He lowered the device, then returned to his work as if nothing had happened.  
Slowly but surely, all eyes drifted from him back to their computer screens.  
Evan cast one last glance around the room before turning his computer and the tablet off.  
He was waiting for an alarm.  
Something to tell him he had to _immediately_ stop what he was doing.  
Nothing happened.  
He shakily stood, and walked as confidently as he could toward the door that lead outside.  
A few eyes flickered toward him, but they quickly diverted back toward their screens.  
_"They’re ten minutes behind on their papers,"_  
He told himself, taking a deep breath as he neared the door,  
_"They don't have enough time to pay attention to me."_

He pushed the glass door open and stepped into the white sunlight.  
The slate streets were empty.  
Only one figure stood outside the building, light gray eyes flicking toward Evan when the door opened.  
“Evan!”  
Tyler hurried to bring the smaller into a hug, then pulled back and held Evan by his shoulders.  
Tyler’s gray hair was hidden beneath a darker hoodie, the informal clothing in the public making Evan cringe.  
That was against routine.

“Alright, let’s head back to your place so you can change. I need to show you something.”  
Tyler turned around and dragged Evan behind him, the smaller letting out a surprised yelp that brought warmth to his cheeks.  
He didn’t like this new sensation either.

They had returned to their apartments in nineteen minutes, the uneven number making Evan grind his teeth as Tyler tugged him toward his door.  
“Alright, go change into your inside clothes, then come back out. I’ll be here.”  
Evan reluctantly nodded, then slipped inside his apartment.  
It was quiet.  
His stomach flipped with how much his mind screamed “ _you shouldn’t be here_ ”, but he still moved toward his bedroom.  
He slid his formal clothes off, neatly hanging them back up before grabbing his sweatshirts and sweatpants.  
His hands hovered on the clothing.  
He winced at imagining himself outside in the casual outfit, and slowly refolded both articles before returning them to their spot in his closet.  
His eyes snagged on some clothes in the back of the closet.  
He pushed the closet door open further, then reached for the shirt and pants.

It was a black t-shirt and dark gray jeans.  
He allowed a small smile to pull his lips remembering the last time he had worn the outrageous outfit, running through a pale grass field with Tyler when they were eighteen.  
_Long, twitching strands of silver._  
_A bright white sun making the grass and wheat glint like metal._  
It was the first time Evan had seen plants, had felt dirt on his toes.  
_Twittering of some bird that wasn’t automated._  
_A graze of hands._  
For a brief moment, Evan had seen something.  
Something so magnificent and blinding he flinched away from the sensation and away from Tyler.

Evan shook his head, banishing the thoughts that had once pricked his mind.  
He tugged on the shirt and jeans, then left his home once more.  
Tyler was still waiting outside, his hood still pulled over his head despite the comfortable warmth from the sun.

“Hey, lookin’ good!”  
Tyler said with a smirk, Evan ignoring the way his heart reacted to the comment before asking,  
“What did you want to show me?”  
Tyler nodded, then beckoned Evan to follow him toward his apartment. 

When the door opened, Evan blinked at the chaos inside.  
Clothes were piled in messy heaps across the floor, table and chairs, and broken glass was strewn through the kitchen.  
“Careful, I had a little too much fun with a vase,”  
Tyler said over his shoulder as he expertly avoided all the mess and stood to face his fridge.

“Did you call me here to clean?”  
Evan asked, nearly tripping over a mound of button-up shirts. Tyler laughed, closing his refrigerator and leaning against it to look at Evan.  
“Of course not! That’d be rude of me.”  
Tyler did fall silent though, his gray and white expression steeling as he delved into his mind.

Evan watched his friend for a moment, then turned away to look around at the ruined apartment.  
He looked back at Tyler when he heard the taller speak.

“Do you know what a Gifted is?”

Evan blinked.  
He had heard the term mentioned once or twice by the teaching robots, but it was always skimmed over.  
“It’s...a person with powers, right?”  
Tyler nodded absentmindedly, then gestured toward a strange image that hung on the wall beside the table.  
Evan had heard about these in ancient history, _paintings_ is what they were called.  
This one seemed to be some sort of flower.  
“What do you see?”  
Even glanced worriedly at Tyler, who was eyeing the painting too carefully to notice the smaller.  
With a sigh, Evan looked back at the grayscale image, framed with an inky black frame.  
“It’s...a daisy? Either that or a pine, we never spent much time on plant identification.”  
Tyler hummed in thought,  
“It’s called a sunflower. What color is the sunflower?”  
Tyler looked back at Evan this time, and the smaller frowned.  
“It’s gray. With a black center and a pale sky and a white sun. Tyler, are you feeling okay? Are you sure-“  
“You’re wrong.”  
Evan stared at Tyler in shock, his eyes darting back at the painting Tyler was now eyeing carefully.  
“It’s golden. With a core of chocolate and standing proud in a sea of emerald grass. The crystal blue sky full of an orange, pink, and purple sunrise from a bleeding, scarlet sun.”

Tyler looked back at Evan, an unreadable expression on his face.  
“I am Gifted. I was chosen by the universe to bring Balance to the Spectrum.”  
Evan blinked in confusion.  
Questions began tumbling to mind, and he didn’t stop the first one from leaving his lips,  
“What’s the Spectrum?”

Tyler’s form that had stiffened at his proclamation, but now he relaxed and plopped down on one of the chairs by the table.  
“The Spectrum is made of eleven Hues, or eleven different dimensions. Each dimension has a color and a Gifted that hold the power and responsibility of their Hue.”  
Evan was quiet for a moment, absorbing the information as best he could. Then he asked slowly,  
“So, you're the Gifted of our Hue?”  
Tyler’s stoic expression crumbled into a loose grin, and he leaned further back into his chair before asking,  
“Thirsty? Want a drink?”  
“Uh, sure?”

Tyler was smirking from his seat, then snapped his fingers.  
A warped hole appeared in the air, lined with a shimmering silver color as an object fell from the eternal void before sealing shut again.  
“Here you are,”  
Tyler tossed the bottle of water toward Evan, who only barely caught it as he was reeling from the sudden appearance and disappearance of the strange force.  
“Wh-what-?”  
Evan didn’t finish, eyes flicking between a giggling Tyler and where the hole had been.  
“I can create portals,”  
The tall young man said simply, shrugging as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Evan brushed off Tyler’s playful manner and took a deep breath, frowning before pressing,  
“What do you need my help for?”  
Tyler’s snarky grin deteriorated into solemnity.  
“Promise you won't freak out?”  
Evan stiffened at the question, but still muttered an “I promise”.  
Tyler let a sigh leak through his lips, then slowly pulled the hood of his jacket off.  
Evan gasped.

Pitch black ink stained and stuck to Tyler’s hair, nearing the intensity of the void from the portal. Strands of the goo dripped down the back of the Gifted’s neck, and Evan took careful steps forward to get a better look at the substance.  
“What is that?”  
“The Void,”  
Tyler said solemnly, staying still to allow Evan to get a good look.  
“It’s seeping into the Spectrum and throwing the Hues off balance.”  
Evan stepped away, taking in his long-time friend.  
“So what does that mean?”  
“It means,”  
Tyler said, standing up from the chair to move toward a window,  
“That we need to go restore Balance to the Spectrum.”  
“We?”  
“Evan, please,”  
Tyler turned away from the window and back toward the smaller. His gray eyes were pleading.  
“I don’t want to go alone.”

Evan swallowed.  
Everything about this was wrong.  
Against the routine.  
Against the system.  
But it was also very Tyler.  
Tyler, his long-time friend who, although sarcastic, prided himself on honesty.  
Evan watched the Gifted’s fingers twitch nervously, twiddling as he waited for Evan’s answer.  
They trembled slightly when Evan let out a lengthy sigh.

“I’ll help you.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is another chapter for dealing with this story instead of CF!  
> Hope you enjoy!  
> <3

“So what do we need to do?”  
Evan was sitting in the other chair beside Tyler, foot tapping anxiously as he watched the Gifted pull his hood back up.   
“Well,”  
Tyler huffed, snapping another portal into existence before an apple fell into his open hand,  
“If my studies are correct, then we need to gather all the Gifteds from all the Hues into one place. My portals can get us into the other Hues, but only in wavelength order. We can come back here if we need to, but I think it’d be best to move on to the next Hues. After that, there’s no going back.”  
Evan nodded, scrambling to try and keep up with Tyler and the new branch of the universe he hadn’t known about until that morning.

“So what’s the first Hue?”  
Tyler stood, huffing a laugh as he tossed the apple into the air.  
However, instead of falling back down, the fruit hovered.  
Evan watched wide-eyed as the apple began to warp, then with a pop, it split in two and streaks of void began streaming from the core.   
The void billowed like curtains, shifting in a nonexistent breeze as it touched the pearly tile.

“We’re heading to ol’ Red’s castle first,”  
Tyler said with a smile, gesturing toward the portal that stood beside him,  
“After you.”

Evan swallowed, dark eyes flicking between his friend and the void before taking and heaving a deep breath.  
He took a few tentative steps toward the portal, then reached a hand into the darkness.

It was cold, and the moment his fingers penetrated the raven curtains they vanished from sight. He quickly pulled his hand back, inspecting the gray limbs before glancing back at a smirking Tyler.  
“It’s safe, I promise. You trust me, right?”  
Evan gave him a small nod, and a hint of a smile pulled at the writer’s lips.  
“It’s easier if you hold your breath,”  
The Gifted added, sending Evan a wink before he turned back toward the portal.  
The smaller filled his lungs and stepped into the void.

Cold.  
Black.  
Empty.  
Evan closed his eyes, but didn’t see a difference in his sight.  
He moved his fingers, grateful he could feel them tapping his leg.  
His lungs began to burn, and his head was growing light.  
Could he breathe out here?  
Was he lost?  
There was a tug on his hand and a rush of air.  
His lungs felt like they were about burst and he let out the air with a desperate gasp.  
He took in lungfulls of oxygen, and a hand rested on his back.  
Everything was still black.  
Where were they?  
“Evan, you can open your eyes now.”

The writer could hear the smile in Tyler’s voice, and let his shoulders relax in a huff.  
He opened his eyes to snark at his friend, but found himself speechless.  
Nothing was gray.  
Everything was… _warm_.  
A sort of warmth that filled him from the inside and made his blood roar.  
It was all the same color, like Evan had put on glasses in his gray world.  
“I believe the word you’re thinking of is Red,”  
Tyler offered, chuckling at the awe-struck look Evan gave him.  
 _Red_.

A ruby city was sprawled in front of them, with glimmering lights and towering skyscrapers.   
Garnet grass swished in the pale pink sunlight.  
Cherry-colored cars tore through streets at unimaginable speeds, and mahogany smoke seemed to pool from everywhere into the bloody sky.  
Shouts and screams clattered from the cramped streets.  
Gunfire popped like firewood from the heart of the swarming buildings.  
Evan’s gut twisted uneasily at the chaos.

The growl of jam-colored motorbikes tore through the air, and Evan turned to see a group of bikers stampeding across a brick bridge toward where Evan and Tyler stood.  
“Ty?”  
Evan squeaked, not looking as he reached for and grabbed the Gifted’s sleeve.  
“Relax, I know them.”  
“What?”  
Evan’s question was ignored as the bikes came to a purr nearby, the man who had been leading taking off his rosey helmet with a swish of his hair.  
Two ruby horns peeked out of russet hair.  
“Gray! How are you?”

“Red! I’m doing rather decently as of late, may I request your highness’ time?”  
“Shut up before I throw you to the foxes.”  
Evan glanced at Tyler, blinking when he realized the Gifted was still varying shades of gray.  
He looked down at his own fingers to see scarlet.

Red handed his helmet off to one of the other men as his motorcycle was driven off, and he gave Tyler a quick hug before looking at Evan curiously.  
“Who is this? He’s colored like my subjects, but he looks too human.”  
 _Too human?_  
Evan could only stare at the man as Tyler gestured toward him..  
“Brian, this is Evan. Evan, this is Prince Brian.”  
“P-Prince?”  
Evan choked out, already dropping into a kneel.  
However, Tyler caught his arm halfway down with a scoff and pulled him back to his feet.  
“Please, don’t make his ego bigger than it already is. Just call him Brian.”  
“Or Prince Brian, like the rest of my people,”  
Brian snarked.  
“Or you could call him Red since you _aren’t_ one of his people.”  
Brian’s cool confidence clattered down instantaneously as he whirled around to glare at Tyler, a gasp on his lips.  
“Gray! Only other Gifteds calls each other by their Hues!”  
“Well, Evan is an honorary Gifted.”  
“Says who?”  
Brian crowed, stomping after Tyler who was slowly making his way down a brick pathway.  
“Says me. Come on Ev, let’s check out Princey’s castle.”

Evan cautiously followed behind the two Gifteds, quickly brought under Tyler’s arm in a side-hug as they walked up the brick path.  
When they passed the wall of crimson trees, Evan’s jaw dropped.  
Used to the steely, small and simple apartments of his home, he was in awe at the rose-colored castle that towered high above them.  
With a maroon roof and spires, a mahogany door large enough for several carriages to fit through, and cherry horses that dappled the garnet grass.  
As Brian led the way forward, Tyler tugged Evan behind him, the writer staring at one of the horses as it lifted its head to look at him. 

It had four dark eyes and a blade of a horn on its head, watching him as intently as he watched it until Tyler forced him through the door.  
The entrance was just as extravagant as the outside, with chandeliers dripping with rubies and scarlet velvet coating furniture.  
Red pandas lounged in perches, snoring or chirping quietly to one another. Tiny horns curled around their heads and clouds of smoke pooled from their noses.

“Welcome to my humble abode,”  
Brian crowed, gesturing widely toward the high domed ceilings and servants that began scurrying toward and around the prince.  
“Make yourself at home. Unless you’re Tyler, then you can follow me to the fox pit.”  
Brian sent a wine-colored glare toward Tyler as one of the servants delicately placed a small crown coated in berry gems on the prince’s head.  
“Aw come on, I’m only pulling your spines!”  
Ty chuckled, a wide grin on his face as he weaved between the crimson people. Brian rolled his eyes, and Evan noticed a few quills on the back of the prince’s neck puff up in annoyance.  
“Shut your trap before I tear your human guts out.”  
Evan paled at the threat, eyes darting toward the Grey Gifted who shrugged off the bluff.  
“Like you’d risk breaking one of your royal nails for the likes of me.”  
The servants began to dissipate, Brian’s red leather jacket now replaced with a bloody, velvet cape, and looking far more regal than before. He tapped his fingers on his crossed arms, narrowed eyes boring into Tyler.  
Evan swallowed when he realized the prince had needle-sharp claws.

“Alright, Gray,”  
Brian huffed as the last servant bussied themself in a different room,  
“Why did you come to visit? I don’t see Droidd with you today.”  
Tyler shrugged, leaning against one of the pillars that edged the dome room.  
“He retired. It’s just me over in g-r-a-y.”  
“It’s g-r- _e_ -y you-,”  
Brian sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose before continuing,  
“Tyler. Any reason for your visit?”  
The Gray Gifted shifted uncomfortably for a few moments, and Evan shuffled his feet as he turned his eyes to his now cherry-colored thumbs.

“You got a room we can speak in private?”  
Brian paused a moment, then said,  
“Not particularly. We have servants everywhere here.”  
“Too many pacifists in your violent land?”  
Brian’s eyes narrowed to daggers at Tyler's smirk, then he turned to look down an expansive hallway.  
“There is one place. Follow me.”

The prince stalked away, and Tyler pushed off the pillar, nudging Evan with his shoulder and offering the writer a smile as they walked in the echoey quiet.  
Only the click of Brian’s shoes on the granite floors and the chirping of the red pandas could be heard in the vast space.

Brian stopped at a door that was etched into the hallway, nearly hidden from sight as the prince waited for the other two to catch up.  
“Through here,”  
He muttered, pressing on a swirling pattern in the wallpaper. The pattern clicked as it receded into the wall, then the sound of mechanical whirring as the portion of wall was pulled out of the way. Brian confidently strode into the room, Tyler following suit.  
The door closed behind Evan.

The room was large, with a slender path that lead to a higher platform that Brian was already climbing toward. Evan and Tyler followed, then looked over the edge of the railing into a pit.  
It was full of five writhing creatures, all russet fur and fangs.  
Evan gasped at the giant foxes, each roughly double the size of a horse. One of them saw the trio and let out a hiss, a scarlet frill lifting from fur like a dinosaur Evan had heard of long ago. The other four foxes whirled around and glared at the platform, ten dark, beady eyes glinting viscously.

“Wow, you’re actually throwing us into the pit.”  
Evan glanced at Tyler, the Gray Gifted attempting to hide the tremble in his fingers with the joke.  
However, nobody laughed. Brian watched the foxes as they seemed to relax a bit, their frills settling back down as they resorted to cooing and yipping quietly at one another.  
“This is the only place in the entire castle where we don’t have servants bustling about. I think only a few of them knows this room exists. Most of my subjects think its a tale to get the more chaotic people to settle down. I don’t mind though. If they continue to act up these ladies get a well-deserved meal.”

The prince turned back toward the newcomers.  
“Nobody will interrupt us here. What is so important that you needed to drop in?”  
Tyler was quiet for a few moments as both Evan and Brian eyed him, glancing nervously toward Evan who gave him a small, comforting, smile.  
Then, he peeled his hood back, revealing the black ink that coated Tyler’s hair.  
Brian let out a gasp, taking a step back and lifting his arm to shield himself.  
“ _Scarlet skies_ , what is that?”  
“The Void,”  
Tyler answered glumly, quickly pulling the hood back up before tucking his hands in the hoodie pockets.  
“Why is it clinging to you?”  
Brian pressed, his eyes still on Tyler’s hood.  
The Gray Gifted didn’t respond, or maybe he didn’t know the answer.  
“Have you seen anything odd around your kingdom? Anything or anyone acting suspicious?”

Brian eyed Tyler’s hood for a moment longer before turning back toward the foxes with a frown.  
“Now that you mention it, there has been a spike in crime. More than usual, anyway.”  
Brian leaned against the rails, his claws idly tapping a rhythm on the rose-colored rails.  
“My people live off adrenaline, and do dumb and risky things all the time. It’s who we are and how we live. However, when people go off the rails and commit murders…”  
Brian sighed and hung his head,  
“Yeah. We’ve had a spike in violence over the past year.”  
“Year?”

Evan asked, flinching under Tyler and Brian’s gazes when he realized he had spoken aloud.  
“Oh, right. You two are humans,”  
Brian said, standing up to his full height with a false smile.  
“Time is different for us. For the Adrenalix, a day is eight hours long. An Adrenalix year is seventy-three days, and each human year is about five Adrenalix years. So,”  
Brian huffed, crossing his arms,  
“In human time, it’s been about...twelve days?”  
He glanced at Tyler who nodded solemnly before asking, 

“Do you have any of the violent people here? Or are they already digesting in the foxes?”  
A ghost of a smile pulled at Tyler’s lips as Brian sighed in annoyance.  
“We do have some of them, in the dungeons. I actually haven’t seen them myself yet, so we can head there if you would like.”  
“Sure, you alright with that Evan?”  
Evan blinked when Tyler turned to look at him, confused as to why the Gifted would need his input at all.  
Especially with something he was so unfamiliar with.  
Back home, those who went against routine were given a warning or put on house arrest until they could return, and if they couldn’t…  
Evan wasn’t sure what happened, he just knew that his neighbor Cam was quickly replaced with Mark.  
“Uh, yeah. We can check out the dungeon. I’ve never seen one before.”  
The writer muttered shyly. Tyler smiled, ruffling Evan’s head of mahogany hair before following Brian back into the hallway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Want to yell at me on Discord? Here you are! <3(https://discord.gg/frSrVVN)  
> Want to yell at me without Discord? Comment! I read and respond to all of them! <3  
> Want to read without directly talking to me? Also fine! <3  
> Enjoy however you would like, it means a lot that you take the time to read Prism!  
> <3


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for not posting anything in forever! I've been stuck in a rut for a while, but hopefully, I can make a comeback!  
> <3

As Brian lead the way downstairs, Evan watched the brick walls turn to dark red stone. The only source of light radiated from pink and berry-colored torches, the fire crackling in the echoey basement.  
When the trio reached the bottom of the steps, Brian waved away two large-horned guards who were quick to open the large and foreboding doors.   
They walked through the dark ruby hallway, walled with garnet bars that held back empty air.  
Until the last 3 cells.

Evan could hear whatever or _whoever_ was inside breathing in heavy, ragged gasps. When the three stopped, a low, rumbling growl started from the hidden shadows of the cell.  
“Tyler?”  
Evan whimpered, his voice hardly a whisper. However, the creature seemed to have heard as its form slunk towards them and into the light.  
Evan’s eyes widened and he scrambled backwards.  
Tyler’s shoulders stiffened and Brian took a step back.

It let out a hideous and warped scream, its black and humanoid shape letting its jaw hang slack as the piercing sound erupted from its throat.  
Fierce, needle-sharp teeth lined its mouth, empty, white pits for eyes as its arms hung uselessly and knees bent inward.

Evan covered his ears to try and deafen the shriek, taking another few steps away from the monster until he hit the cell behind him.  
There was a low snarl in his ear before a blackened hand wrapped around his chest and crushed him against the bars. 

“Tyler!”  
He cried before the breath was squeezed from his lungs.  
He could feel the creature breathing on the crook of his neck, sending goosebumps and shivers through his body as he desperately tried to pry the monster’s fingers off of him.  
Tyler and Brian whipped around at his cry, Tyler immediately rushing over as Brian watched in disgust.  
When neither of them could loosen the monster’s grip and Evan was seeing familiar blackness lining his vision, Tyler stepped back with a snarl.  
“Evan, you trust me right?”  
Evan nodded quickly, trying to keep his eyes on Tyler as the ground vanished from beneath him.  
He heard the monster let out an infuriated roar as the blackness enveloped him.

The red returned quickly, the blackness gone so fast he wondered if he had just blinked or if he had really fallen into another portal.  
Him falling into Tyler’s arms answered his doubt.  
He immediately gripped a fistful of gray hoodie, body trembling as he took greedy gulps of air.  
A hand softly ran through his hair as Tyler hushed him.  
“You’re okay Ev, you’re okay. I got you.”

Evan could feel tears pricking his eyes and eagerly wiped them away as he listened to the rumbling of Tyler's voice through his chest.  
“Thanks for the help, _sire_ ,”  
Tyler snarled before turning around and heading back up the stairs.  
“Wha- where are you going?”  
Brian asked, casting glances to either of his sides to ensure he wouldn’t be pulled toward any of the cells.  
“Upstairs. We’ll talk at the Fox Pit.”  
Brian let out an annoyed groan, but was soon coming up the stairs after Tyler and Evan.

Tyler carried Evan until he reached the pattern in the wall, then paused.  
“Do you think you can walk?”  
He asked under his breath, looking down at the cardinal figure in his arms.  
“Y-Yeah. Thank you.”  
“Of course,”  
Tyler cooed with a smile, gently placing Evan on his feet before pressing the pattern.  
The wall slid out of place right as Brian scurried beside them, huffing as he walked into the room.

“What in garnet was that about?”  
The prince crowed, the foxes hissing at the sudden noise.  
“Tyler, that was completely unnecessary! So what if they got a hold of your little friend, we still needed to talk-“  
“They were covered in the Void.”  
Tyler deadpanned, glaring at Brian.  
The prince blinked before nodding thoughtfully.  
“Oh, I hadn’t realized that. I guess I should’ve known by- YES I KNOW IT WAS THE VOID!”  
Evan jumped at Brian’s sudden yell, the foxes flaring their frills in annoyance.   
“There was no need for sarcasm,”  
Tyler growled, crossing his arms and stealing a glance toward Evan.  
“Says mister snarky,”  
Brian sassed back, purposefully ignoring the sneer Tyler gave him.

“What were those things?”  
Evan asked quietly, receding into himself when Brian glared at him.  
“My people. Corrupted by the Void.”  
“Now do you see why we need your help?”  
Tyler’s voice was a welcome interruption, his determined gray eyes watching Brian carefully,  
“The Void started sleeping into Gray through me, and if it’s in Gray-“  
“Then it’s everywhere else.”  
Brian finished, expression grim.  
“So we need to unite all the Hues and restore the balance of the Spectr-”  
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, balancing the Spectrum. I know. Geez, I know you’re job is to keep balance but you don’t need to take it so seriously.”  
Brian’s comment carried a small smile that made Tyler roll his eyes but return the smirk nonetheless. 

“So what do we need? An army?”  
Brian asked, leaning against the railing of the fox pit.  
Tyler scoffed,  
“I wish it was that simple.”  
“Then what?”  
“We need to gather all the other Gifteds.”

Brian was quiet, wine eyes narrowing toward Tyler.  
“You’re kidding.”  
The Gray Gifted shook his head.  
“It’s the only way. We have to get White to talk to Black.”  
Brian let out a long groan, pinching the bridge of his nose before grumbling,  
“Have you ever tried to go to Orange before?”  
It was Tyler’s turn to fall quiet. The Gray Gifted paused before mumbling,  
“Well, not exactly. But I can make it here just fine, so it shouldn’t be too hard.”  
Brian scoffed, dropping his hand to stare at Gray incredulously.  
“Shouldn’t be too hard? Then be my guest! Go find us something to make an orange portal for us.”

Tyler let out an annoyed huff, but left the room to go on the hunt.  
“So,”  
Brian said slowly as the wall slid closed again.  
The foxes let out small yips as they tousled below.   
“How long have you known Tyler?”  
Evan glanced at the prince, surprised to see the royal eyes staring at him.  
“Wh-what?”  
Evan hated the way his voice trembled with uncertainty, how his stomach twisted at how unworthy he was to be speaking to the Red Gifted.  
“You and Tyler. You must’ve known him for a while to trust him as much as you do.”  
Evan glanced down at the foxes, mostly so he wouldn’t have to feel smothered by Brian’s presence.  
“We’ve known each other since we were little. Our families were neighbors and we were born into the same age group, so we’ve never really been separated.”  
“Age group? So you guys are both twenty?”  
Evan shrugged, still not looking at the prince.  
“Well, yes. But our age group is the same group of thirty people all through school. Fifteen boys fifteen girls. When we were sixteen, we were given our jobs. We all became newspaper writers.”  
Brian was quiet for a moment, and Evan chanced a glance toward the prince to see him watching the human curiously. The Red Gifted blinked.  
“Wait, was that it?”  
Evan frowned.  
“Y-Yes?”  
Brian scoffed.  
“What, do you just live in your office all day?”  
At Evan’s nod, Brian’s face fell.  
“You can’t be serious. You wake up, go to work, and then go to bed? No bungee-jumping? No skydiving? No paintball?”  
Evan tilted his head at all the questions, not recognizing any of the activities Brian pressed for.  
“No? It isn’t in our routine.”

Brian cringed, and Evan heard him mumble something about “humans and their schedules” before continuing,  
“You’ve never once done anything outside of your little ‘routine’?”  
Evan thought through his dozens of days of doing the same thing over and over and again, and could only find one anomaly.  
“Once. I was eighteen and Tyler dragged me out to a wheat field outside of town. He kept going on and one about how pretty it was, and I remember it was really nice. Lots of silvers and steels.”  
Brian was quiet for a moment again, eyeing Evan before saying carefully,  
“How much as Tyler told you about him being Gifted?”

Evan thought it was a strange question, but still answered,  
“He told me he could make portals, and that he needed me to go with him through the Spectrum. That was about it.”  
Brian blinked slowly before softly saying,  
“You don’t know…”

 

“I don’t know what?”  
Brian opened his mouth to answer, but the wall slid open to reveal a grinning Tyler.  
“I got us an orange for an orange portal!”  
The Gray Gifted said proudly, tossing the round fruit from hand to hand before looking at the two cardinal-colored people in front of him.  
“Miss me?”  
“Tons,”  
Brian muttered with a roll of his eyes,  
“Just make the portal.”

Tyler shrugged, then tossed the orange into the air.  
Like the apple, it hovered, the red air beginning to warp around it.  
Evan turned his attention toward Tyler as the orange itself began to bend and stretch.  
The man was focused on the floating fruit, his brows knit in concentration as his hand stayed outstretched toward the developing portal.   
Suddenly his eyebrows shot up and a bright grin pulled at his face as he snapped his fingers.  
The citrus split in half, and the void billowed from its insides similar to how it had with the apple.  
Tyler let out a victorious woop, his hood almost falling as his fists pumped the air.  
Evan ignored the ink that peaked from the hoodie to look at Brian.

The prince watched the portal with interest, nodding before looking at Tyler.  
“Nice job. I didn’t expect you to get it.”  
“Doubt will get you nowhere,”  
Tyler said confidently before turning toward Evan,  
“You want to go first again?”

Evan hesitated in his answer, but before he could speak Brian placed a hand on his shoulder.  
“He needs to, to make sure it’s safe for us Gifteds.”  
Evan managed to mutter a “what?”, before he was being shoved toward the portal, tripping and falling into the pitch blackness. 

Evan felt panic fill his empty chest as he tried to gasp for breath.  
His desperate attempt was stopped when he felt nothing but pressure on his abdomen, and he began clawing at the not-there ground to try and get back on his feet.  
He felt something cold begin to slither around his ankle, but a force hefted him to his feet and dragged him through a wall of air before it could get a grip on him.

Evan’s lungs began filling instantaneously, and he coughed and sputtered as his eyes tried to focus on a field of blinding marigolds.   
“Are you okay?”  
Evan nodded at Tyler’s question, grabbing at his head as oxygen began flowing through his blood again. He felt Tyler release his steading hold, and turned to see the Gray Gifted stare at the portal as Brian stepped through. The fruit that had been hovering in the air sealed back closed and fell into Tyler’s open hand before his free hand sent a slap across the prince’s face.  
Brian, still colored scarlet and vermillion, held his cheek with a gasp.  
“What was that for?   
“You could’ve killed Evan!”  
“Well clearly, he is alive. I don’t understand why you’re so upset.”  
“Brian, you screw-and-wired idiot, you’re indestructible! If anything, you should have gone first!”  
“So? What use is a power when I don’t have servants to serve under me?”  
Tyler pinched his nose and growled,  
“Evan is not one of your servants.”  
“Well he’s clearly yours, and you don’t even have a kingdom!”  
“What?!”

Tyler stared in shock at Brian, who was still glaring at the Gray Gifted.  
“Evan is my friend! I don’t need servants like your royal motherboard!”  
“Your friend? Then why haven’t you told him about-”  
“Hi, strangers!”  
All six eyes turned to see a small child, maybe eight in human years, with bright orange skin and darker stripes that coated his arms and legs. He wore a baggy t-shirt and oversized shorts, his feet bare as he stood on the heads of the endless surrounding marigolds.  
A tail curled behind him, holding what Evan could only guess was a paintbrush.   
“You guys look really pretty,”  
The boy cooed, seemingly mesmerized by Tyler and Brian,  
“I’ve never seen those shades of orange before!”  
“I’ve never seen colors other than red,”  
Brian muttered softly, not seeming to be a fan of all the bright, honey colors and blinding marmalade sun. 

Evan would agree that it was bright, a very lovely honey-colored landscape.  
A small village sat at the base of the marigold hill they stood on, the walls and small huts splattered with varying shades and tints of the playful orange color.   
Bouncy, preppy music tumbled through the air, making Evan feel giddy even from the few notes that reached his ears.  
He’d never heard anything like it, varying instruments and voices twisted together to form harmonies that made his foot tap and heart swing.   
He could see several dozen other kids dashing through the streets, some dappled with spots and some striped like the kid beside them. 

“Are you guys here to paint?”  
The child asked, eagerly passing his paintbrush from his thin tail to his hand,  
“We have lots, and I’m sure I can find an empty wall!”

“What is your name?”  
Tyler asked with a friendly smile, kneeling down to level with the kid.  
“My name is Joe!”  
“Well, Joe,”  
Tyler cooed,  
“Do you mind giving us a tour around the village?”  
“Sure!”  
The child cheered, skipping ahead of the multicolor group. Evan glanced at Tyler as he pocketed the orange, waiting for the Gray Gifted to start walking before moving beside him.  
Brian took up the rear, mumbling and murmuring about how there was too much bird song and not enough gunfire.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the long wait!  
> I haven't been writing a lot since I'm still getting settled into college.
> 
> Hope you enjoy! And read the note at the end!

Evan watched the village grow bigger, bright and curious amber eyes darting to look at the new people.   
They were quickly swarmed by other children, most covered in drippy paint and wearing marigold flower crowns.   
A few of them had pencils in their tails, some with paint brushes and crayons, and a few even with drumsticks.   
All were different ages, but the oldest seemed to be maybe eleven in human years.   
Wide smiles and greetings spilled from them, and Evan could see a few more poking their heads out from behind doors and windows shyly.  
“This is where all our houses are! We all share them, so it's extra warm whenever we wake up.”  
Evan glanced at the surrounding clay huts, all of them clearly made by small hands that carefully shaped and worked with the mud to form lovely one-room houses. They were painted with spots and swirls, delicate patterns surrounded by haphazard dashes and stripes.   
A few of the smaller toddlers carried stuffed rabbits and bears, handmade and stitched with love.

It took awhile for the children to disperse enough that the three adults could continue following Joe, and by then a few teenagers had also appeared from inside houses and other feet-worn roads.  
“Over here is the Work Houses! The older people like to make food and toys and clothes, and here is where they can do that!”  
The clay buildings here were larger, made with more skill and with little signs carved into the rich walls. 

“Then here is our library! We have a lot of new stories we need to put away, so I think Craig is getting people to help him build another one.”  
Joe gestured to a large building, painted with lovely and precise details that were as intricate as the ones that laced over the Work Houses. Inside the door-less building, Evan could see shelves upon shelves of books, some with professional-level art for covers and others with crayon scratch for a title.   
“Joe,”  
Eyes flickered toward Brian, the red man clearly out of place in the tangerine place.  
“Where are all your parents?”  
The tiger-striped child turned to look at them, tilting his head in question.  
“Pear-ants? What’s that?”  
Even Tyler blinked confusedly at the question, then added,  
“You don’t know your parents? Do you have a family?”  
Joe’s puzzled expression pulled into a blinding grin,  
“Oh! Like our big brothers and sisters? I know my brother Mark asked for me when he was thirty-three, so I like to sleep next to him. He’s like a little fire he’s so warm.”  
Joe seemed to fall into his memories for a moment, but all of the newcomer’s eyes lit up.  
“I’m one hundred and five, or twenty one in human years. Do you know where we can find someone my age?”  
Joe’s jaw dropped when Brian said how old he was, and Evan held back a snort behind carrot-colored fingers at the child’s first comment.  
“You’re so _old_! That’s so cool!”  
Brian’s wine eyes flashed with annoyance until the kid continued,  
“I don’t know what a human is, but Craig is the oldest out of all of us!”  
“Say my name and I shall answer!”  
Out of one of the Work Houses labeled “bakery”, a young man holding a pumpkin pie stepped out, smiling brightly until his bronze eyes fell on the other Gifteds.  
“Marmalade fields…”  
The young man gasped, eyes widening by the minute.  
“What are you two doing here?”

“Craig, I assume?”  
Tyler said carefully.  
“Yep! That’s him!”  
Joe said jovially, one of his feet beginning to tap in beat to one of the songs pouring from nearby buildings.  
“Perfect! Thank you Joe, you were a big help.”  
Tyler praised, musing the kid’s hair before he gave a quipped “you’re welcome!” and dashed off toward another group of painters.  
“Is there somewhere we can speak in private?”  
Tyler asked when most of the staring children were out of earshot.  
“Uh,”  
Craig glanced at his pie before nodding slowly.  
“Of course, follow me.”

The Red and Gray Gifteds gradually lost the excited crowd of kids, Evan hardly escaping one of the children trying to drag him off to join their apricot band.  
Eventually though, Craig escorted them off the worn path and into a clearly-less-traveled trail that was lined with fruit trees.   
Grapefruit, apricots, nectarines, and of course, oranges.  
There were a few teenagers gathering the fruits and filling woven baskets, some pulling carrots and sweet potatoes as others found and carried perfect pumpkins.  
Some of them paused in their collecting, sending kind smiles and even waving excitedly at Evan, who couldn’t help but wave back.  
“They all look so happy…”

He didn’t realize he had said it out loud until Craig glanced over his shoulder with a smile.   
“It’s a village of youth, of course we’re happy!”  
Evan couldn’t help the smile that tugged at his own lips as he looked back at the honey leaves and rust-colored bark.   
He wished he could’ve seen more of Red than just the castle and servants, but after remembering the clouds of smoke and booming fire, he figured that maybe it was best that they never ventured further.  
Finally, a small wooden house came into sight, surrounded by a thin river of tangerine water and an amber bridge to cross it. 

Small bundles of fur tumbled around the yard, and when they heard the group approaching, they perked up in interest. Evan had to take a moment to realize they were shaggy little tigers, with big amber eyes and sunny orange noses. Petals of the marigolds clung to their fur as they bounded eagerly around Craig, sniffing at the new visitors as well before Craig shooed them off with a giggle.   
“Sorry about them,”  
He said as he held the door open to his cottage,  
“They are very friendly little cotton balls.”

The cottage was warm and aglow with streams of golden light.  
A small circle of wool seats sat in the middle of the room, with a small kitchen further back and a door that lead to what Evan assumed to be the Gifted’s bedroom.   
Back near the kitchen, a half door lead outside to a backyard where a sandstone-colored llama stuck its fluffy head inside. The llama let out a strange _chirrup!_ when it spotted the newcomers, pulling its head back out and clipping away.

“Sorry for the informalities,”  
Craig said cheerily, promptly flopping down on one of the soft chairs.  
“Orange hasn’t had any visitors in several millennia.”  
“It’s quite alright, we don’t expect much,”  
Tyler reassured. Everyone else settled on the other sofas, and Evan practically _melted_ into the soft and comfortable seat.   
“So, what brings you to lovely Orange?”  
Craig’s smile was radiant and friendly, but his tail flicked nervously behind him.  
Evan eyed the paler spots and patches that blotched the Gifted’s apricot skin as Tyler shifted beside him.  
“Has anyone been acting differently? Like outside normal Orange behavior?”  
Craig’s expression stayed pleasant, but his orange and white tail thrashed worriedly.  
“I’m not sure what you mean. We’ve had plenty of residents adopted, and the usual amount who fade away into the surrounding forests. Nothing unusual.”  
“Fade away?”  
Evan asked, ignoring the stone in his gut when eyes flickered toward him before back at the Orange Gifted.  
“Yes, I believe the humans call it dying? Except our bodies don’t remain, we just vanish on the breeze.”  
“And how come there are hardly any adults here?”  
Brian earned a careful glance from Craig before he answered the prince’s question.  
“Kerain don’t...what’s it called...reproduce. We send messages with birds about us wanting a new sibling, and a new toddler is usually found in one of our houses the next day. We aren’t born, and we don’t die.”  
“Ugh, it’s like you’re made of hope,”  
Brian gagged. Craig was quiet before a grin fluttered to his face.  
“I guess we are. A hope of getting our stories and ideas out into our community, a hope of spreading love, and hoping we will receive the same love in return.”  
The Gifted’s demeanor faltered.  
“Maybe...maybe there has been a loss of hope.”

“What do you mean?”  
Tyler pressed, leaning forward slightly.  
“I mean…”  
Craig sighed, running fingers through his ginger hair,  
“I mean more of our older residents have been fading away than usual, and-”  
Orange cut himself off, chewing his upper lip before standing up.  
“Let me show you.”  
The different colors stood to follow, and Craig lead them to the half-door in his kitchen.  
After they were all outside and the llama herd had backed against one of the far fences, (which Evan took careful note of the camel-like humps on their backs), Craig turned them to look at the back of his home.

The once pristine and neatly painted marmalade wall and tangerine patterns were smeared and ruined, with dark mud-like colors slathered and curled to spell “torn pages spill ink”.   
“I found this a few weeks ago, and after the next few days several kids vanished. There was no trace of their footprints into the forest, and several books and art pieces were mauled beyond recognition.”  
Craig retold the story like each craft had been another child they had lost. The pain behind his boisterous eyes made Evan’s stomach curl.  
“Do you know who did this?”  
Tyler asked, tone careful to not upset the Orange Gifted further. However, he just shook his head sadly.  
“Their footprints were found running into the forest with a trail of paint. We found several stolen buckets of paint, but nothing else.”  
Evan kept his eyes on the morbid mural that defiled Craig’s house.  
Something seemed...familiar about the dark substance.  
Evan took a few steps toward it, then dragged his fingers through the letter g.

“What are you doing?”  
The question was twinged with confusion and disgust, and the human only glanced at Craig before looking back at Tyler.  
“It’s the Void.”  
“What?”  
All three Gifteds spoke at the same time, glancing at one another before Tyler took a closer look at the goo that dripped down the wall.  
“He’s right. It’s the Void mixed with paint.”  
“What is the Void doing here?”  
The disbelief and fear that lined Craig’s question made everyone turn back toward him.  
Tyler only lowered his hood in response, and Evan was sure he saw some of the Gifted’s color fade slightly.  
Evan also cringed away, as the ink seemed to have bubbled over onto his shoulders.  
It was getting worse.  
“The Spectrum is off balance,”  
Tyler began, pulling his hood back up before the Orange Gifted could faint, (because he looked about to).  
“We need the Gifteds from every Hue to do it.”

Craig was quiet for a long time, bronze eyes flicking between the ink-covered wall and Tyler.   
Eventually though, he took a deep breath,  
And the landscape melted.

Evan let out a yelp when the perfect tangerine sky twisted dark, and the honey leaves dripped off their branches like wax.  
The llamas let out screams and collapsed into dripping carrot pools.  
The tiny tigers that had been outfront let out angry bellows as they grew to giants, their fangs and claws tearing up wilting marigolds as they leaped over Craig’s house to tower over the group.  
The cottage crumbled to pieces, the smell of ash and death making Evan gag.  
“I can’t leave,”  
Craig spoke pensively, his expression going as dark as the clouds that filled the sky.  
“My people need me, we are down to our last few adults, and I don’t want to stress the teenagers out and risk them fading too.”  
One of the tigers let out a deafening snarl, and Evan cowered behind Tyler.  
He was trembling, grateful for Tyler who seemed to be able to remain calm.  
“Craig, I understand you’re scared, but you and I both know that they can hold themselves long enough to survive the few weeks it will take us.”  
“You don’t know anything,”  
The Orange Gifted seethed, the once perfect field of marigolds now cracking angrily.  
“You haven’t been here longer than a few hours, and yet you try to tell me how to lead my people?”

“I’ve been here long enough to know you’ve taught them well enough to have a successful community,”  
Tyler yelled over the screeching winds that began tugging at clothes.  
Evan knew the only reason the Gray Gifted’s hood stayed on was because the Void held it there.  
“They write and they draw, they build and they cook, they learned all of that from you!”  
The wind quieted, Craig’s hair twitching dangerously from the remaining breeze.  
“Please,”  
Tyler pleads, taking steps closer toward the other Gifted,  
“We need you too.”

Craig didn’t say anything, but his expression softened.  
The tigers began to shrink, and the llamas struggled to their feet.  
The sky lightened and the previously storm-like clouds thinned to playful cotton.  
The breeze tugged the leaves back onto their branches.  
The cottage slowly pulled itself back together.  
Evan could smell marigolds and honey again, settling his stomach as Craig’s tense shoulders slumped.  
“I need to check with a few of my people, then we can leave.”  
Tyler gave Craig a nod, the Gifted hurrying back inside his cottage before vanishing.  
Evan watched the llama graze as if nothing had happened, and the tiny tigers were playfully pouncing and mewling and trying to catch Brian’s attention.

“What in the King’s name was that?”  
Brian barked out, roughly swishing his vermillion cape to stop the tigers from darting and diving toward the silk.  
“His power,”  
Tyler muttered simply, shrugging before kneeling down to pet one of the felines.  
“What the blazing foxes does that man have for a power?”  
Brian practically roared, bundling his cape into his arms when the balls of fur refused to leave it alone.  
“Hallucinations. He can make you see things that aren’t there.”  
Brian sent a sharpened glare toward Tyler before looking back at the cottage and huffing.  
“Blasphemous. Craig gets wicked powers and I just can’t be hurt.”

Tyler shrugged again, letting the tigers climb over him and his shoulders with a small smile.  
“You need to be indestructible to live in Red, Brian,”  
Tyler chuckled,  
“Craig has more creative talent in his pinky than all of us combined, so he knows what to create that will scare us off.”

Brian let out another annoyed snort, then crossed his arms as he looked back at the ruined mural. Evan looked back at Tyler, smiling when he saw the Gifted still drowning in bright orange fur.   
“Hey, Ev, a little help?”  
Tyler was peeking through mounds of fluff, and Evan couldn’t stop the giggle that tumbled from his lips.  
“Hey! Stop laughing and help me!”  
Tyler shouted, clearly holding back his own laughter. Evan gave in, offering his hand and hauling Tyler to his feet.   
They ended up in each other’s space, chest to chest and noses nearly touching.  
Evan’s eyes widened as a smirk took over Tyler’s features.  
The Gray Gifted opened his mouth to speak, but the two were pulled apart by Craig’s voice,  
“I’m back.”

Brian turned away from the wall, and Tyler stepped around a flustered Evan.  
“Did you say and do all you needed to?”  
Craig nodded, unlatching the smock that he had been wearing to reveal his over-sized t-shirt and baggy jeans, both of which were splattered with old paint.  
Tyler gave the Gifted a smile and a nod, then pulled a lemon from his pocket.  
“Then I’ll start the portal.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!  
> I'm going to be honest.  
> I have 9 chapters of this story written, but I'm not sure if I will be writing any more.  
> If you guys end up really wanting more, I do think I could gather up some motivation and continue writing Prism, but I just feel people aren't really into it.  
> If you guys don't really care, then that's fine! I'll finish posting the chapters I do have and then we can all move on.  
> But if you guys really do want more Prism, I would love to continue this journey to the end!
> 
> Thank you for reading, and let me know how you feel so far! <3


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you, everyone, for your support!  
> So far it seems like you guys want me to continue writing Prism, so that is what I'll do!
> 
> I'll try to keep updates pretty regular, so for this week, I will updating ever-other-day.  
> Then, I will be updating every Tuesday and Thursday!   
> (Until October, as I will be doing a daily challenge! But I will resume after the month!)
> 
> Thank you all so much again, your comments and kudos mean a lot!  
> <3 <3 <3

As Tyler held the lemon in the air, the Gifted taking a bit longer than usual to locate the next Hue, Brian spoke up.  
“Craig, what did you even say to all those kids?”  
The Orange Gifted kept his eyes on the warping lemon for a moment before sighing and dropping his gaze.  
“I told them I’d be gone for a while, and to listen to their older siblings. I soothed a few of the youngest when they started crying, then I hurried back here.”  
Brian hummed in acknowledgment, and then Tyler let out a pleased shout as he snapped his fingers.  
The lemon split down the center like the previous fruits, and the void spilled freely.  
“Brian, you first.”  
Tyler sent a pointed glare at the Red Gifted, who rolled his eyes with a sigh.  
“Whatever.”

Brian seemed to hesitate before stepping into the portal, but it happened as quick as a blink, and then he was gone.  
“Craig, you want to go next?”  
The Orange Gifted seemed to shake off the previous solemnity, smiling and giving Tyler a nod before stepping through the curtains of Void.  
“You go next Evan,”  
Tyler said, smiling at the writer,  
“I’ll be right behind you.”

Evan nodded, staring at the void before taking a deep breath and stepping through.  
Evan doesn’t stop walking.  
He can feel his feet hitting a surface, like he’s walking through a hallway, but he’s too scared to open his eyes.  
Not until he feels the gust of air that tells him he’s made it to the other side.

When the wind hits, Evan smiles.  
He opened his eyes to a blindingly bright and joyful land and turned back toward the portal as Tyler stepped out.  
The greyscale man gave Evan a nod, a hint of congratulations for making it out without assistance for the first time.  
Evan rolled his eyes at the gesture, ignoring his heated face as Tyler caught the once-again perfect lemon.  
“Yellow, here we come!”  
Craig cheered, seemingly back to his usual peppy self.

Evan looked at the bustling small town they stood on the edge of, daffodil and canary-colored people pressing and shifting through crowds with endless smiles.  
Soft, rounded ears sat atop their heads, some with puffs of fluff on the back of their necks, cheeks, and curly mops of hair.  
Their butter and banana eyes bright and excited as children dashed with stuffed animals Evan couldn’t recognize, fistfuls of balloons bouncing and trailing the dandelion strings.  
Mustard and butterscotch houses lined the busy and people-filled roads, and further down the paved street, Evan could see what looked like an amusement park.  
A Ferris wheel brushed bumblebee clouds, a swirling and twisting roller coaster swimming through the air behind it.  
A circus tent stood dutifully near the front of the attractions, small carts of toys and balloons outside to catch all the eager children.  
There was a boom of a cannon, and confetti began to rain down near the tall tent.  
“The next show begins in fifteen minutes, don’t miss out on this spectacular event!”

The people let out whoops and cheers, the tide of the crowd now beginning to flow into the dandelion tent.  
“I miss Red.”  
Brian grumbled, his arms crossed and shoulders slouched.  
“Ignore him, Craig,”  
Tyler chuckled, beginning to merge into the crowd,  
“He’s living art block.”  
Craig scoffed, joining Evan and Tyler as they were practically swept away by the jovial crowd. As they began disappearing into the banana horde, Brian seemed to realize they weren’t coming back and let out a “Hey! Get back here!” before rushing to try and catch up to the rest of the group.

It didn’t take long for them to get ushered into the circus tent with the rest of the mob, Evan surprised the tent could still fit more people as the entire town emptied inside.  
When he got inside, his jaw dropped.

The main arena was several floors underground, creating several thousand seats to watch the show.  
Evan didn’t expect the seats to be filled, even as he and the rest of their multicolored group were sat in the middle of the stadium-like benches and the line of people continued.  
When everyone was seated, every chair was taken.  
Evan was pretty sure all of Yellow was inside to watch the show.

“Welcome, everyone!”  
Crowed a voice in the center of the arena, his arms outstretched to the crowd.  
The audience let out cheers, the ringleader grinning wide and bright before gesturing toward the curtained doors behind him.  
“We have a spectacular and brilliant show for you today, so give it up for your performers!”  
Cheers and applause roared through the tent, and the ringleader bowed as the curtain opened.

A tall giraffe-like creature slowly stepped into the arena, it’s whip-thin tail thrashing through the air anxiously. The tail cracked like a whip, and at the sound, several shaggy dogs ran into the ring. A man suddenly appeared on the giraffe’s back in a cloud of smoke, smiling as he leisurely stepped off into thin air, the pack of dogs suddenly forming a pile beneath him to catch the man.  
He landed in the pile of fur, vanishing instantly. The dogs began separating, revealing that the man had in-fact completely disappeared, reappearing on the other side of the ring with a bushel of sunflowers in his hand.  
He waved the flowers in the air, the giraffe quickly finding the movement and cracking its tail at the prospect of food.  
At the crack, the dogs leaped into action, bouncing and dashing until Evan realized they were forming a small pyramid. As the last dog leaped to the top, the giraffe cracked its tail again, this time in annoyance as the man ran to evade the giraffe.  
The dog pyramid tumbled down, the canines rolling into themselves, before zooming around the ring as bundles of balled fur.  
The audience was oohing and awwing at the antics, and at the giraffe’s next tail crack the dogs ran back inside the curtains.  
Next came a herd of deer, dappled with small spots and with soft-looking furry manes.  
Another man came out with them, and the first man ran behind the curtain with both the dogs and giraffe in tow.  
The new man stood in the center of the arena as the deer formed a circle around him, then he lifted an arm and disappeared into a cloud of smoke.  
Six acrobats dropped from the top of the tent, the same amount of deer that now stood alone on the ground. Connected with ribbons to the top of the tent, the acrobats began spinning down.  
They flipped and twirled around the ribbons, and the deer began to prance around in a circle.  
Evan watched the acrobats, thinking for a moment that they all looked the same.  
He didn’t get time to look closer, as they began vanishing one-by-one into clouds of smoke, the ribbons they were on falling limp when they were gone.  
All of them but one evaporated, and the last one spun and twirled and danced until they reached the ground in the center of the still-prancing deer.  
The ribbons were pulled back into the top of the tent as the acrobat gestured to the deer around him, four more deer galloping to join the others from the curtain.  
One of them carried a ribbon wand, and the acrobat took it from the deer as it joined the circle.  
There was now an inner circle for the four deer around the acrobat, who began dancing with and twirling the ribbon wand through the air.

The ribbon began forming shapes, rings and slides and other objects for an obstacle course.  
Then the deer began to run.  
They ran across the stretches of spinning ribbon, through satin hoops and under tunnels of the smooth fabric.  
The crowd roared in awe at the deer, Evan staring wide-eyed and shocked at the _impossible_ feat.  
The deer rejoined into the two circles, and with a flick of the acrobat’s wrist, the satin ribbon snapped back into place, flowing steadily from the wand.  
Then with a bow, the acrobat vanished in another cloud of smoke.  
The crowd and audience let out another roar of approval as the deer pranced back into the curtain, canons of confetti signaling the end of the show.

Evan watched as the people around him began to stand, happy chitter filling the tent like dust.  
“I can’t wait to come back tomorrow!”  
“I absolutely love their shows!”  
“And they come up with it all in one day! Can you believe?”  
“Nope! It’s absolutely astounding!”

“One day, huh? That is impressive.”  
Tyler mumbled to himself, slowly standing to join the crowd again.  
“Impressive?”  
Brian groaned,  
“That show was so short! My servants could come up with something better for twice the length!”  
“But your servants aren’t training animals, give them some slack and appreciate the happy things in life for once!”  
Tyler countered, a bright smile pulling at his face as Craig leaped to his feet, bouncing in place.  
“All of that? In one day? We have to meet the ringmaster!”

Tyler chuckled at the eager Orange, then glanced down at the now empty arena.  
“I was actually thinking the same thing. If all of Yellow comes here for shows, then they are bound to know who the Gifted is and point us in the right direction.”  
As they waited for the seats to empty around them, Craig continued to fan on about the show,  
“Maybe the Gifted was one of the acrobats! Or the one with the spotted animal!”  
“You mean the giraffe?”  
Evan offered, Craig glancing at him curiously.  
“Is that what it’s called? It looked so cool!”  
They waited only a bit longer for the rows below them to empty before making their way down the stairs and toward the arena.  
Tyler lead the way toward the wall that separated the audience from the arena, then, after glancing around the empty pit, he snapped his fingers.  
A hole appeared beside their small group, lined with shining yellow and slightly warping the air around it.  
It’s twin opened up into the arena, Tyler stepping through first and walking into the dirt area.  
“Come on guys, let's meet the people behind the show!”  
Craig stepped through next, Evan following him with Brian in the back. As soon as the prince entered the arena, Tyler closed the portal and headed through the curtain.

Inside was full of various animals, several giraffes, dogs and deer from the show nearby as they rested, and more that they hadn’t seen a bit farther back.  
Zebras with small horns that lined their spine, and snakes with crested heads.  
Several people were mingling around, giving animals water or double-checking feed dishes, but Evan noticed they seemed to conveniently hide their faces. He had even paused by one of the pens with the zebras, feigning interest in the animals to see if he could get the keeper to show their face, but still, they occupied themselves with various buckets and ropes until he was called back by Tyler.

He didn’t look away from the keepers until he heard Tyler from beside him,  
“Mister ringmaster! It’s a pleasure to meet you.”  
Evan looked at the ringmaster, his scruffy chin and bright, friendly eyes vaguely familiar.  
He figured it was just from the show, even if he hadn’t seen him for too long.  
“Please, call me Anthony,”  
The man said, glancing at the varying colors in front of him,  
“And the pleasure is all mine, I’ve never seen the other Gifteds before!”  
“Other,”  
Tyler caught, smiling as well,  
“So you know the Yellow Gifted?”

“Know is a strong word…”  
The wide grin that fills Anthony’s face at the new voice makes Evan even more curious, especially when he realized all the keepers and acrobats were coming over to join the conversation.  
“Yeah, I don’t think I’d ever want to talk to the guy. So cold-hearted.”  
The sentence was said with an audible smile, and when the acrobat turned to face the group, Evan blinked.  
It was the same person.  
The ringleader, and the acrobats, and the keepers, they were all the same!  
“Alright, that’s enough,”  
Anthony chuckled, and all the duplicates vanished into clouds of smoke.

“So _that’s_ how you did it…”  
Craig whispered, awe written across his face. Anthony let out a loud laugh.  
“Yep! That’s how I get this show rollin’ all by myself!”  
“Hear that, Brian?”  
Tyler says with a smirk,  
“All by himself! I bet your servants couldn’t do _that_!”  
Brian huffs, crossing his arms as he looks everywhere except the other people,  
“Well, my servants can’t clone themselves!”  
“Admit it, you’re just jealous Princey.”  
Brian snarls at Tyler’s taunt, stomping off as the Gray Gifted giggled.  
Anthony laughs as well, his dandelion face darkened slightly as he rubbed the back of his neck.  
“It’s not that impressive, the shows only last about half-an-hour.”  
“Half-an-hour of sunset _glory_!”  
Craig corrects, Anthony humming humbly as he glances at Evan.  
“Sorry to ruin the magic, sunflower. Just don’t tell your folks, yeah?”

“He’s from my place, actually,”  
Tyler pipes up before Evan can speak, the taller resting an elbow on Evan’s head.  
“I just dragged him along to deal with my nonsense.”  
“Oh! Apologies for miscoloring you. We don’t get visitors often, if ever.”  
Anthony twines his fingers uncomfortably, and Evan is quick to calm him,  
“Don’t worry about it, it’s my first time going anywhere except Gray.”

“New experiences for everyone. Speaking of,”  
Tyler continues, seeming to be interested in keeping the conversation on track.  
Evan wondered if the void that was beginning to seep through the back of his hoodie had anything to do with it.  
“Am I safe in assuming you are the resident Gifted? Or does everyone here have duplication powers?”  
“You four can’t duplicate?”  
Anthony pauses as he takes in the now completely confused faces before breaking down, his laughter quickly turning into wheezes as the quartet exchanged baffled glances.  
“Of-of course I’m the Gifted,”  
Anthony finally managed as he caught his breath, a hand resting on his stomach as he smiled brightly at the group.

Tyler huffed a laugh, before nodding.  
“Right, of course. Then I would hope you’d know if there is anything strange going on with your people?”  
Anthony’s smile wavered,  
“What do you mean?”  
Tyler shrugged, tucking his hands into his pockets as he spoke carefully.  
“Have you noticed anything off about the people of Yellow? Maybe, sudden acts of violence or destruction?”


	6. Chapter 6

Anthony watched Tyler for a few moments before his smile fully vanished.  
“Well, there have been a few hiccups, but I’m sure it’s nothing bad enough to cause such distress in the Spectrum.”  
Tyler paused, then lowered his hood.  
He did it with difficulty, black strands sticking to his hair and neck and not wanting to untangle from the gray fabric.  
Anthony let out a yelp, another two duplicates appearing behind him and all three staring in shock at Tyler.  
“I-”  
“Do-”  
“Are-”  
The three triplets looked at each other before back at Tyler and, in sync, asked,  
“How can we help?”

Tyler smiled, tugging his hood back on before sighing.   
“We need you to join us in getting White, and talking to Black. It’s the only way to stop the Void from draining our Hues.”  
Anthony’s twins vanished in clouds of smoke, a determined look on his face as he nodded.  
“Of course! I’ll gladly help.”  
Tyler nodded, then snapped.  
A shimmering sunflower-colored ring lined the hole that appeared beside him, Anthony blinking at the portal in surprise.  
“Perfect,”  
Tyler smiled,  
“Then we need to head back up to the park.”  
“What? Why?”  
Brian asked, his eyebrow arched in suspicion as he watched the Gray Gifted,  
“I need to find something to make the Green portal. Everything here is so yellow,”  
Tyler huffed.  
“Well I sure hope so,”  
Anthony said with a giggle.  
Brian stepped through with a groan, quickly followed by Craig and Anthony. Tyler grabbed Evan’s arm, tugging the canary human through the portal before he could say anything and closing the hole behind them.

They were back outside the tent, Anthony smiling and bowing at each passing and excited face, especially the children.  
He gave them all nicknames like “sunflower” and “dandelion”, “lion” and “goldfish”, Evan found he couldn’t stop smiling as he watched them.  
“I have to go get a friend to take care of the animals while I’m gone,”  
Anthony said after a few minutes of Tyler looking around.  
“Alright, meet back at the tent around sundown?”  
The Gray Gifted offered. All eyes turned toward the sun, which sat heavy in the sky.  
They’d have about an hour.  
“Sure! Should be plenty of time for me,”  
Anthony said cheerily, waving a quick goodbye before dashing into the crowd.  
After he left, everyone turned toward Tyler who shrugged with a lopsided grin.  
“Let’s head to the amusement park, see what they have.”  
The different colors exchanged a glance before Brian let out a whoop,  
“Yeah! Let’s go!”  
“What’s an amusement park?”  
Craig asked, and Evan shuffled his feet nervously.  
He had heard of the place, and obviously seen it, but never been.  
They no longer existed back in Gray.

“Trust me, Craig, you’ll love them. Let’s go!”  
Tyler grabbed Evan and Craig, dragging them into the crowd as Brian dashed after them, an eager smile on his face for the first time since they met.

Evan didn’t mind the crowds of people in the park, he was used to them from back home.  
He didn’t like the screams that tore through the air from the roller coaster, though.  
Tyler dragged them toward a food vendor, snagging some cotton candy for Craig to munch on as they walked through the crowded pathways.  
Brian was quick to grab Tyler’s arm and tug the other Gifted into the line for the rollercoaster, telling Craig and Evan to go wait on one of the benches or go to a different ride without them.   
Then they were gone.  
Evan clung to Craig’s side like a flea, having never left Tyler’s side since he left Gray.   
He was definitely _not_ panicking.  
Craig didn’t seem to mind though, slipping through groups and navigating through the park pretty easily as he finished the sugary snack.  
The Orange Gifted made small comments, offering to get the writer some food as well, but Evan was quick to reject the offer.  
Eventually, Craig settled on one of the small carnival games that lined the paths.  
It was a ring toss, as the owner quickly explained with a jovial smile (after complimenting Craig on his tail, spots, and color of course), and soon the Orange Gifted had a handful of the rubber rings.

He missed the first two, then, with his tongue sticking out of his mouth and brows furrowed in concentration, he landed the last three.  
The Gifted let out an excited cheer, smiling wide and about to turn away when the owner stopped him.  
“Hold on, you have to choose a prize!”  
Craig turned back toward the owner in surprise before asking,   
“Prize?”  
“Yes! Choose whatever you would like from the wall behind me!”  
Craig looked at the hanging balloons and stuffed animals on the wall, shrugging before turning toward Evan.  
“Want anything?.”  
“What?”  
Evan blinked at the Gifted in confusion, rubbing his arms as he tried to ignore the uncomfortable buzz from all the bouncy chaos that surged around them.  
“Choose something! It’ll make you feel better.”  
Evan hummed in disagreement, but still turned toward the wall of prizes.  
His eyes settled on a stuffed version of the small dogs from the show, and pointed at the pale daffodil dog.  
“That one.”  
The owner quickly pulled the dog down, smiling as he handed it to Evan,  
“Here you are! Have a nice day!”  
“Thank you!”  
Craig and Evan said in unison before the two walked away.

As soon as they were out of earshot from the game, Craig asked,  
“So, what are you naming him?”  
“Naming him?”  
“Of course,”  
Craig said cheerily, nearly skipping through the crowd as Evan trailed him.  
“With all the kids back in Orange, all the animals and toys have names.”  
The Gifted chuckled, cheeks dusting darker as bronze eyes flickered with memories.  
“I used to have a stuffed tiger named Mini. He was my first toy.”  
Evan hummed in acknowledgement, looking down at the bundle of stuffed fur in his arms. It had darker yellow patches, and Evan smiled as the dark eyes stared back at him.  
“I-I’ll name him Joe.”  
“Joe? Like the kid from my place?”  
Craig asked softly. Evan giggled, nodding as he hugged the dog closer to his chest.  
Craig was right, it did make him feel better.

They made their way back toward the tent as the sun began to brush the horizon, brightening the sky around it as the rest of the vastness darkened. The gold and butter people around them began retiring to their homes, children rubbing their eyes and yawning as smiling parents lead them to bed.   
Only a few stragglers remained when Evan and Craig reached the tent, Anthony already waiting and waving at them as they neared.  
“Now we wait for Tyler!”  
The canary-colored Gifted said passively, one of his duplicates waving farewell to a family for him before dissipating into smoke.   
“Nice dog by the way, Evan”  
Anthony cooed, giving the doll a pet from where Ev clutched it to his chest.  
“Thanks,”  
He murmured, running his hand through its faux fur,  
“Craig won it for me.”  
“It was my pleasure! I had a lot of fun.”

“Good! You’re all here.”  
The three turned to see Tyler hurrying toward them, something clutched in his fist as Brian ran behind him.  
“I got the green portal key!”  
Tyler said cheerfully, holding up a banana leaf (in both color and species) with a bright smile.   
“Great! Let’s get this show started,”  
Anthony cheered as the two newcomers joined their small huddle.  
“On it,”  
Tyler said, holding the leaf up and dropping it before it paused, the air around the blade of yellow humming as Tyler focused.

“Fascinating,”  
Anthony muttered, eyes glued to the leaf as it began to warp slightly,  
“So Gray has portals, like my Teacher always said, does that mean Orange can create illusions and Red is indestructible?”   
Both Craig and Brian turned toward Anthony, sharing confused expressions before Brian asked,  
“How do you-”  
“Your Teacher didn’t tell you my powers?”  
The sudden appearance of another Anthony made the Yellow Gifted chuckle.  
“Teacher?”  
Evan asked, ignoring the prick in his skin when eyes flickered towards him.  
“Yeah, Teacher,”  
Anthony said, shrugging as the cloud of dandelion smoke proved his twin vanished,  
“Gifteds have a Teacher that helps them learn how to use their powers. My Teacher was Seán, he taught me everything I know.”  
“My Teacher wandered into the forest shortly after teaching me how to mold clay. Marzia was good at hallucinations,”  
Craig reminenced.   
“Sark didn’t teach me anything! We just knife-horse jousted and raced through the forest!”  
Brian huffed, crossing his arms like a toddler.  
“I don’t think it takes much skill to learn how _not_ to die, Brian,”  
Anthony teased, laughing when the Red Gifted puffed out his needles on the back of his neck in annoyance. 

Conversation dwindled from there, Evan letting the Gifteds talk to focus on the stuffed dog in his hands. He ran his canary fingers over felt and faux fur, a small smile on his lips from is softness.  
 _Joe_.  
He giggled softly, remembering the small boy that had been so friendly and accepting, and the paintbrush that had been held in his tail. He had been so open to give them a tour even if they were strangers.  
Evan wanted to be like him.

Tyler suddenly let out a cry, the previously stretching and bending leaf suddenly snapping back to shape and slowly drifting back to the bumblebee-colored ground.   
The other Gifteds stopped speaking and turned to look at the Gray, who was breathing in heavy gasps before letting out a shout of anger,  
“I don’t understand! I can’t find Green anywhere! And I felt the stupid portal when I touched the leaf!”  
Tyler took a deep breath, regaining control before turning to Brian,  
“Can you find another green- wait- that’s right.”  
Tyler ran an ash-colored hand through his silver hair, closing his eyes and heaving a sigh before looking at the sunset.

A bright blonde sun with rings of daffodil and butterscotch on a blanket of glimmering gold. In the darker bumblebee colors, glints of bright honey were sprinkled about. A faint lemon moon was beginning to brighten.

“Anthony, do you have a place where we can maybe settle for the night?”  
The Yellow Gifted smiled brightly, nodding before throwing a thumb over his shoulder and back toward the tent.  
“I have a small place behind the tent, there should be enough blankets and pillows to make up for the single bed.”

The small group agreed to check the place out at least, Anthony leading them behind the tent to reveal a small butterscotch house.   
Evan found himself sticking near Tyler, his body relaxing more when beside his friend even if he now had Joe to help him. Tyler, on the other hand, seemed anxious, casting glances at everything around them and eyeing the leaf he had picked up earlier with a narrow frown.   
When the five of them entered the house, Craig was the first to give his opinion,  
“Oh my tigers… I love it!”

It was small, with a main living room/ kitchen and two other doors that Evan would _assume_ were the bathroom and a closet, since the bed seemed to be in the middle of the room. Goldenrod and banana fleece blankets hung on walls, bright lemon fairy lights strung up everywhere to give the room an ethereal feel. More blankets and several large, poofy pillows were piled and stacked on and around the bed, along with a fairly-large stuffed zebra creature that looked a bit faded from long cuddle sessions. The kitchen was further back in the room, windows covered with more blankets and nothing more than a fridge and a cupboard. There was no stove in sight. 

 

Anthony headed toward one of the doors, opening it and pulling out another armfull of butter and danellion sheets and pillows. Craig moved to help him, and Evan quickly realized the room was devoted to nothing _but_ blankets and other soft things.   
It didn’t take long for the two to arrange several stacks of blankets for makeshift beds (not that Evan felt he could sleep after all the chaos of today. _It’s only been one day?_ ).   
Anthony and Craig were quick to pick two mounds of blankets and pillows, looking more like nests than beds. Brian stole the bed, claiming “no prince would have to sleep in such dire situations” before settling with a single blanket and pillow.   
Evan was still standing beside Tyler, nervously glancing at the Gray that seemed to be lost in his mind as he twirled the leaf between two fingers.   
“Ty, are you going to sleep?”  
“Hmm?”  
The taller man blinked from his daze, sending Evan a tired smile.  
“Yeah...yeah. I might just stay up for a bit longer though.”  
“To try and figure out the portal?”  
Tyler sighed, turning silver eyes back toward the leaf. Only then did Evan see the heavy bags that hung under the Gifted’s eyes.  
“Of course. I need to get this figured out if we have any hope of saving the Spectrum.”  
Evan frowned, his shoulders dropping as his canary gaze fell to his feet.  
Anthony and Craig were making small, cheery conversation between their nests.  
Brian was beginning to snore heavily.  
“You should try to sleep. It’ll be easier to find the portal after resting,”  
Evan offered. He had no idea if sleeping would actually help, but he was always more productive at work after a full night’s sleep.   
“Evan, I-“  
Tyler sighed, the breath quickly turning into a yawn,  
“Fine. I guess a few hours of sleep wouldn’t hurt.”

Evan smiled, gathering the last of the horde of blankets and piling several pillows together to make two some sort of hand-made mattresses. They seemed just big enough for one person each. Evan settled into one of the makeshift beds, Tyler quick to join him in the other.   
Craig and Anthony’s chatter began to lull sleepily.  
Brian was sprawled on the bed.  
“Goodnight, Tyler,”  
Evan yawned, facing his long-time friend as his eyelids began to flutter.   
“Night, Ev,”  
Tyler mumbled, eyes already closed as he slipped into sleep.  
Evan smiled, letting his eyes close as he drowned in soft fleece and wool.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter is a bit late!
> 
> Also! This will be the last chapter up until the end of October as I will be doing a daily spooktober prompt list!  
> (A Haunted 2019)
> 
> See y'all in November!

Evan blinked awake, squinting at the bright sunflower and daffodil that shimmered in the golden sun. He turned to figure out why his alarm hadn’t gone off, instantly wide-awake when he realized Tyler was beside him. The taller man was nestled into his side, features relaxed as his arm was draped casually around Evan.   
The non-Gifted almost squeaked when the taller man shifted in his sleep, pulling Evan closer to his chest and mumbling something Evan couldn’t decipher. Evan could feel heat burning his ears and his face, and his heart began to pound as he froze, scared of awakening Tyler further.  
 _He...he needs his sleep…_  
Evan told himself as Tyler rested his nose on the back of the writer’s neck. Evan couldn’t help the shiver that coursed through his body after each breath he felt graze his spine, until finally the Gifted blearily blinked silver eyes open. 

Tyler sat up when he realized where he was, and Evan had enough sense to at least _pretend_ he had also just woken up.  
“I-I-uh,”  
Ty stuttered, face darkening a few shades with embarrassment,  
“I h-had a nightmare that you were- um- drowning in light and-and I couldn’t save you no matter how hard I tried and-”  
“Ty,”  
The portaler paused his rambling, glancing nervously at Evan, who gave him a small smile as he groggily rubbed his eyes,  
“You’re fine.”

Tyler’s tense shoulders fell, and he returned the smile before stretching.  
“Should we wake everyone else?”  
Tyler hummed at Evan’s question before shrugging,  
“Nah, I’ve got to make sure I can actually make a Green Portal before we get them all annoyed at us.”  
Tyler sent Evan a wink, then snapped his fingers.  
A silver-lined portal appeared, Evan blinking at the sudden familiarity before the leaf drifted through and the portal was gone again. Evan stared as the leaf, draped in gray, slowly shifted back to its original yellow colors.  
“What the-”  
“Neat, huh?”  
Tyler waved the leaf around with a smirk, and Evan stared slack-jawed before asking,  
“How’d you do that?”  
“Remember? I can always make a portal back home, in Gray, but if we go back we have to start back in Red. As long as _I_ stay, I can keep all our portal items safe at home!”  
“So, where are you keeping them?”  
Tyler’s aura of confidence quickly melted away as he sheepishly glanced to his right,  
“Uh, your place. It’s cleaner than mine, and it makes it easy to remember where I need to part the void.”  
“And why do we need to keep the portal items?”  
“It doesn’t matter,”  
Tyler quickly brushed off, already lifting the banana leaf into the air,  
“Give me a minute to find this place, alright?”  
“Alright.”  
Evan settled back into his makeshift bed, gingerly picking up his stuffed dog before cuddling it to his chest. He ran a soft finger along softer fur, smiling to himself as he listened to the quiet birdsong outside and the dull hum of vibrating air as Tyler again reached for the Green Portal.

It took a while- longer than Evan was expecting anyway.  
Anthony had been the next one to wake up, scurrying off to make breakfast for them all as Evan mumbled a “good morning”.  
Tyler did, however, let out a vicious, “finally!” and snap his fingers as Anthony finished up a fruit and sweets platter, the hovering leaf splitting down the line in the center and allowing the Void curtain to spill out.  
Evan jumped up from his bed, letting out a victorious “whoop!” as Tyler laughed. Craig and Brian woke up from all the noise, the Red Gifted mumbling something about “loud hooligans”. 

“I know we’re all excited,”  
Anthony called over the laughter and annoyed groaning,   
“But I’ve made us all some breakfast!”  
His rounded ears pricked at the excited faces from Evan and the Gifteds, and soon the small counter space was crowded by everyone.  
Lemon cookies and cupcakes, bananas, pineapples, papayas, and of course, little blocks of cheese.  
“I didn’t make the sweets,”  
The Yellow Gifted said sheepishly as people began picking what they wanted,   
“I can’t cook to save my life. Burned my first house down when I left my stove on for too long, so now I just get some from my neighbors.”  
“‘M sorr’ ta hear dat’”  
Brian said through a full mouth of cupcake. Anthony just laughed, shrugging before picking up one of the cookies.  
“It’s all fine! People were glad to help me build a new place, and I just never got another stove.”

Conversation dwindled from there, too busy filling growling tummies with delicious food and giving their thanks to Anthony to discuss other topics.   
Then, finally, the platter was empty and stomachs were happily full. Tyler gestured to the waving curtain of Void that dripped from the leaf,  
“Well, I finally got the portal open, so now we just need to shove Brian through.”  
“Ha ha ha,”  
The Red Prince groaned, sarcasm dripping thickly off his words,  
“You’re hilarious. Let’s just get this over with.”  
Tyler shrugged at his words, and after the group followed him to the portal, (Evan snatching up his Joe), the prince stepped through.   
“Me next!”  
Anthony cheered, dashing toward the hovering darkness before vanishing. Craig went after the Yellow Gifted, Evan taking a deep breath before following suit.

He walked slower than he did last time.  
He dared a peek through his eyelids, expecting his eyes to burn, or see something terrifying hovering in the blackness, however, there was nothing.  
A terrifying room of limbo.  
He opened his eyes fully, tightening his grip on Joe and swallowing as his feet sped up slightly.  
Up ahead he realized he could see a shimmering oval of colored sparks, and if he recalled his schooling, the shards of light were bright green.

When he stepped into the swirling glimmers, the familiar breeze ruffled through his hair and he smiled.  
He looked around, the bright, color-clashing Gifteds doing the same. They stood in a small glade, dark and ominous pine trees shrouding the rest of their surroundings from view. Tyler stepped through the portal, catching the now emerald-colored leaf as it spiraled toward the ground after closing. Evan watched him make another, smaller portal lined with silver, closing it again as soon as the large leaf was put safely away.   
Then, the Gray Gifted took in their surroundings with a frown.  
“Hm. Not where I expected to be.”  
“Where the burning panda did you expect to be?”  
Brian asked, crossing his arms as his gaze narrowed. Anthony made an unpleasant sound at the strange curse.  
“I expected to be in town. I know hardly more than you do,”  
Tyler calmed, taking a few steps toward one of the looming trees. Brian huffed, but his tense shoulders relaxed a bit. Anthony stiffened suddenly, turning toward where Tyler had taken a few steps,  
“Hey, I hear people!”  
Everyone else soon turned to see Tyler resting a hand on one of the trees, turning back toward the group with a smile,  
“Let’s go check this place out!”  
He pressed through the foliage, Anthony quick to follow him and Craig on his tail. Brian groaned, mumbling some inaudible complaint before joining the train of people.  
Evan sent one more glance around the small clearing before hurrying to catch up.

Ferns tickled the group’s legs as they trekked through the thick foliage, grasses and leaves joining the small fronds in their brush against the newcomers. Most of the dark trees were coated in sleeves of moss, small critters dashing through undergrowth before Evan could catch them in his sight. He was sure by a flicker of scales and rigid tails that the woods were filled with various small reptiles.   
He figured the thick vine-like objects hidden by shadows were sleeping snakes.  
Finally, the pines began to thin, and the ground became springy with clover patch. Craig, still barefoot, eagerly bound through the soft field, ferns and sage bristling through the ground with reaching fronds and branches.   
Smaller juniper trees were spaced out through the thinning forest before they started appearing inside seafoam-colored stone circles, clearly planted with purpose. A mint brick pathway began trickling to life, quickly meandering through the clover field before swerving toward a line of small houses.  
“Hey! We got civilization!”  
Tyler said cheerfully, glancing at the rest of the group before jogging toward the path. Evan hurried after the Gray Gifted, ignoring his shamrock skin and Joe’s matching lime-colored stitching as he ran. The three embers of fiery Gifteds hurried after them, the group slowing when they began walking through the small outskirts of the town. 

It was quiet.  
Eerily so, with quiet, murmuring voices being carried on the wind toward them.  
The small cottages and houses were draped in dark vines, icy chills slithering down Evan’s spine at the sight.  
The vines dripped.  
Pools of dark, inky drops followed the vines as they wrapped around doors, and choked the life from trees. Evan caught the glance of a body swarmed with vines before Tyler forced him to look away.  
Evan squeezed Joe tighter.  
“The Void…”  
Craig mumbled, fear making his voice tremble like the dead leaves that clung to snapped branches.  
“Are we too late?”  
Brian voiced their concerns, his expression and tone more solemn than Evan expected him to be capable of.  
“Can’t be. I’m not dead.”  
Evan flickered emerald eyes toward the Gray Gifted, expecting to see a glimmer of humor in his silver gaze.  
He swallowed when he realized that Tyler wasn’t joking.

“I still hear people,”  
Anthony said quietly, a frown firm on his lips,  
“Let’s keep going into town, the Void has to stop somewhere.”  
'The group mumbled agreements to Tyler’s words, hurrying their steps to escape the daunting Void-crowded surroundings.   
Eventually, the vines of Void became less frequent, and after stepping over one that lay sprawled in the middle of the path, their surroundings were Void-free.   
The houses in this area had gotten a bit bigger, cottages and homes now lined with pristine emerald flowers and potted juniper trees. The houses were still quiet, but they at least looked well-kept. It took another while along the mint path before there were small children running between houses, fists full of clover and pears as the breeze began carrying the sweetness of actual mint. Mothers were washing laundry before hanging it on wire, fathers were tossing pears between their children, olive faces illuminated with bright smiles. Chartreuse dresses and sage dress shirts that reminded Evan of the ones he and Tyler had worn back in Gray. Basil polished shoes adorned the feet of adults and children alike, emerald jewelry gleaming in the early morning lime sun.  
As the multicolored group walked past the houses, the people began to quiet, pausing in their activities to watch the new colors pass.   
Evan noticed scales ran down their necks and backs, the grass-green scales catching the sunlight and bouncing it around the small neighborhood. Some of the smaller children edged closer to the path, dark forked tongues darting from their lips as they tried to figure out who the strangers were.  
Anthony had waved at one of the younger girls with a blinding smile, but she cowered behind her mother’s skirt. The protective and warry glint in their slit eyes made Evan’s stomach churn.

“Let’s keep moving. We don’t want to scare them too bad,”  
Tyler said quietly, the others nodding before keeping their heads down and hurrying their feet. Evan didn’t like that his skin and clothes were the same shades as the people who were watching the group in terrified silence. It made him feel like they were judging him harsher, questioning his sanity for clinging with these new people. Evan glanced at Tyler, who took long strides ahead of him.  
He trusted Tyler.  
He dropped his gaze back to the stone pathway.   
He didn't really trust Brian, the Red Gifted was too selfish and aggressive.   
Craig swung too quickly between seriousness and playfulness.  
Anthony didn’t seem too bad, but Evan hadn’t known him for long enough.  
He held back a sigh, running his fingers through Joe’s fur. He hoped whoever the Green Gifted was was kind.   
Especially if their people were running from the Void.

The houses gradually became more ornate, the children playing with handmade toys instead of clover and pears. Emeralds sparkled as they draped over dresses. Parakeets and parrots perched on trees and some of the people’s shoulders. One even landed on Evan, but it startled the writer so bad that he spooked the bird and it flew away before he could appreciate its presence. He pressed Joe to his chest, smelling the faint whispers of lemon still on the faux fur.   
The embrace of the stuffed dog did little to soothe him, and Tyler was too busy with their mission to be burdened with him.  
Evan grit his teeth, dropping his gaze when he accidentally caught the eyes of one of the passing people.  
He didn’t feel welcome.  
He didn’t belong.  
Not here, and not with the people he traveled with.  
He was beyond ‘past his limit’ and could feel the nerves he had been trying to suppress beginning to drag themselves forward.   
He didn’t want to be here.  
He didn’t want to be judged and scowled at as he just followed blindly into whatever Tyler was trying to do.  
He didn’t want to have to dodge Void vines and get saved from a Void monster’s grip.   
He didn’t want to ruin his routine.

“I think we found our destination.”  
The discovery was quiet, mumbled into the tight group of multicolored people as they meandered through what seemed to be a market part of the village.  
The shopkeepers and customers had fallen silent at their arrival.  
Up ahead, looming like the pine trees in the forest, stood a castle.  
It had tall spires that brushed pale sage clouds, and olive-colored bricks lined with moss and vines.  
Only half of the reaching plants were actual, living vines.  
“The Green Gifted has to be inside, right?”  
Brian asked, uneasiness present on his tense features,  
“Who else would be the royal line?”  
“I agree. Let’s check it out,”  
Tyler stated solemnly. 

The group wasn’t stopped as they walked along the pathway to the castle, trailing up a hill to where the intimidating building stood.  
There were no creatures in sight along the trekk.   
No people, no animals.  
Dense vegetation swarmed with Void weeds.   
The haunting substance only grew more common as they reached the imposing pine wood doors. An actual vine snaked around the wood, propping the heavy doors open enough that they could all slip through easily. 

Tyler slipped through first, Evan following quick behind him to ignore the despairing pit in his chest.   
He gripped Joe impossibly tighter as tears pricked his eyes.  
“Hello? Anyone here?”  
The Gray Gifted called out into the vast entry room.  
The only response was his echo.   
Brian looked around the inside of the manor, seemingly more relaxed in a partially familiar landscape. Craig was looking around the castle, eyes wide as he took in the crumbling cobblestone and torn tapestries. Ripped quilts with a now-indistinguishable family crest were scattered around, and more Void vines were wrapped around vases and pillars. Dark green stains were splattered on walls and ruined portraits, the same pool of it under a Void wrapped corpse.   
Anthony emptied his stomach in the corner of the room, face paled with illness as he wiped his mouth.  
Craig didn’t look too far behind the Yellow Gifted.

“What if the Gifted is dead?”  
Craig murmured, wringing his hands as he looked around at the vile surroundings.  
“Then the n-next born heir of the throne would become the Gifted.”  
Brian said quietly, gingerly dragging his fingers across one of the mangled family crests. Evan could see what looked like what was supposed to be a serpent in the fabric, but the rest was too ragged to identify.

“Gray, what do we do if we can’t find the Gifted?”  
Anthony asked, nervously fidgeting in the middle of the room. Tyler clenched his jaw, but didn’t answer as he started walking up a spiral staircase.   
The others didn’t have any choice but to follow the portaler, ignoring the creaking of the steps as they reached the next floor.  
It wasn’t in much better shape, but Evan did catch a movement dashing into one of the branch-off rooms.   
“I saw something!”  
He whisper-shouted, darting after the flicker of bright green.  
“Evan!”


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I just wanted to say thank you for everyone who participated in my "Haunted 2019" with me!  
> I know I fell behind early and ended up not finishing all the prompts, but I am so grateful that you guys decided to continue without me. They were all fantastic!
> 
> Anyway, I know that you guys have been waiting a whole month for this, so without further ado- enjoy!

The lime-colored human ignored Tyler’s call of his name, hurrying into the expansive room and stopping to look for whatever he had seen.  
It looked like a bedroom, with a bed covered in haphazardly thrown blankets and various piles of clothes scattered across the floor. He did eventually find what he was looking for and ignored the shouts and thundering steps from the hall to stare at the massive snake in front of him. It was coiling up, staring at him while idly flicking its tongue at him. It let out a low hiss, and Evan froze up. Tyler ran into the room, letting a relieved sigh leave his lips as Evan felt a hand on his shoulder,  
“Ev, you can’t do that! It’s dangerous and I don’t know what I’d do if you- what are you looking at?”  
The Gifted slowly turned to look at the snake, the bright emerald scales shining in the sunlight that spilled through the window behind it. It let out another hiss, raising its head aggressively as it took in the intruders.  
“It-it shouldn’t attack us. Let’s just go,”  
Tyler said quietly, already ushering Evan out of the room. Brian tried to shove his way inside, seeing the large reptile and cringing,  
“It doesn’t look friendly. What if it's infected with the Void?”  
Tyler rolled his eyes at the Red Gifted, trying to push the prince back into the hallway as well,  
“Brian, I’m infected with the Void. It doesn’t mean anything.”  
“Just go, I’ll take care of it.”  
“Brian, it didn’t do anything! Just leave it alone.”  
“Relax, I’ll kill it quickly.”

Tyler opened his mouth to continue arguing, but after the prince picked up a piece of broken wood and held it like a bat, he just shook his head.  
“Let’s just go Evan.”  
“Wait!”

Everyone froze, including Craig and Anthony who were standing just outside the door. Evan turned around to look back into the room, surprised to see a new person standing between Brian and the snake.   
His hair was ruffled, the tunic he wore making him look simpler than the people outside. He was young, and didn’t look any older than fourteen. His arms were spread like he was hoping he could shield the large reptile from Brian’s weapon.  
The prince didn’t look very impressed.  
“Move, kid. That thing could hurt you.”  
“He wouldn’t. He’s my friend.”  
Brian sighed, swinging the piece of wood impatiently.  
“Listen, I just don’t want it trying to kill my friends. So be a good servant-boy and-”  
“I’m not a servant boy, I’m the prince of this castle! And I command you to stop!”

Silence fell after the kid’s words, the young prince chewing his bottom lip anxiously as he stayed to protect his snake.  
“What did you say?”  
Brian asked, his voice colder than Evan thought necessary.   
The kid swallowed, shifting his feet before lifting his chin proudly,  
“I’m the prince here. I-I live here. With- with my snake.”  
The prince’s forked tongue darted out of his mouth nervously, slit pupils taking Brian in as the other prince watched him carefully.

“Where were you hiding? I didn’t see you,”  
Brian said slowly, resting the end of the wooden board on the floor. The kid glanced at his feet before suddenly fading from sight and reappearing a few steps closer to Brian, the Red Gifted making a startled squeak and leaping back.  
“I never left my room.”

“What’s your name?”  
Tyler asked, stepping toward the two royals who were glaring at each other.  
“Nogla.”  
“I’m Brian,”  
The Red Gifted muttered curtly, holding out a hand for Nogla to shake. Cautiously, the young prince took Red’s hand, wincing from Brian’s tight grip.  
“And I’m Tyler. Great introductions,”  
The Gray Gifted interrupted, trying to pry the two apart. Brian resisted him, so Tyler resorted to opening a portal below the Red Gifted’s feet and letting him fall out into the hall.   
“Now that he’s out of the way,”  
Tyler sighed, ignoring the surprised wide-eyed stare from Nogla,  
“I’ve got a few questions for you, your highness.”

Nogla blinked out of his trance, shuffling his feet before nodding,  
“What is it?”  
“Well,”  
Tyler began, leaning against one of the last standing bedposts and crossing his arms,  
“I won’t ask if you’ve seen any evidence of the Void. It’s stupidly obvious you *and* all your people know what it is, and how dire the situation in the Spectrum is right now.”  
“S-Spectrum. R-right,”  
Nogla agreed quietly, slit eyes darting around like he was trying to remember something. Tyler seemed to have noticed too, as he tilted his head slightly.  
“You seem pretty young. How old are you?”  
“O-One hundred twenty-nine.”  
“What is that in human years?”  
It was Nogla’s turn to tilt his head,  
“H-human years?”

“Did your Teacher ever tell you about human conversions? I learned it when I was about a hundred fifty, so about fifteen human years,”  
Anthony said, a friendly smile on his dandelion features. Nogla screwed up his face, bright eyes flashing with dozens of smothered emotions.  
*Grief. Sorrow. Anger. Sadness.* and grief again.  
“My T-Teacher taught me plenty! I-I know everything I need to!”  
Everyone jumped at the prince’s sudden outburst, and then he was gone.  
The thuds of his footsteps out of the room and down the hall gave everyone an idea of where he had vanished to, and his pet snake let out an annoyed hiss before following his master.  
Everyone made a path for the six-foot, bright green snake, Brian wrinkling his nose in disgust until the reptile had slipped through a hole in the wall. 

“Now what?”  
Craig asked quietly, wringing his fingers worriedly.  
“Well, we know something happened,”  
Tyler stated, turning to face the rest of the group,  
“And the kid lives alone in a ruined castle with his python.”  
“That thing could be venomous, how do you know it’s a python?”  
Brian scoffed, scarlet eyes narrowed to daggers. Tyler rolled his eyes,  
“Because I’ve never seen a snake that big and it *not* be a constrictor of some sort.”

Evan frowned, giving Joe a squeeze as the Gifteds racked their brains for ideas.   
He paused, looking down at the stuffed dog.  
Maybe Nogla needed Joe. Maybe he would feel better like Evan did after holding him.  
Evan looked around, most of the Gifted staring at hands or feet, or even at the messy and broken bedroom they stood in. Tyler was pacing, running a hand over a hoodie-covered head as a frown was pulled taut over his features.  
Strands of black were peeking out of his sleeves.

Evan cast one more glance around the room before slowly slipping out, wandering out of the room and looking around the crumbling hallway. If he listened hard enough, he could hear Nogla’s snake slithering through the walls, and decided he’d follow the quiet shifting of scales over wood.   
He followed the snake in the wall for a few minutes, glancing over his shoulder at the slightest loud sound to make sure he wasn’t being followed. Then, the snake poked its head out of another hole, the reptile swinging its head to look at Evan and flicking its tongue out. Evan paused in his following and gave the snake a small wave.  
He...wasn’t sure why he did, it was just a snake, it didn’t actually know what a wave would mean. But, Evan hoped the python would realize he was no threat.

The snake stared at him for a moment longer, then slithered fully out of the hole, slinking down a smaller hallway and into a room. Evan followed again, slower this time. When he entered the room, he could hear a quiet sniffling, and the flickering form of a boy wrapped in an emerald cape. The snake slithered up to the boy, beginning to coil around him before resting his head on Nogla’s.  
Evan blinked when he realized the snake was hugging the prince.

Nogla sniffled again, running a soft hand along smooth scales.  
“Th-thank you, Lui.”  
The snake let out another hiss, tongue flicking lazily as Nogla slowly quieted, continuing to trace the python’s shape as his form stopped flickering. After Evan was sure Nogla had calmed down a bit, he gently knocked on the door, not surprised to see the prince vanish and Lui hovering from where he was still coiled around the boy.  
“Hey Nogla, I just wanted to check on you.”  
“Go away!”  
Evan sighed, but didn’t leave. Instead, he settled for sitting cross-legged on the splinter-covered floor, settling Joe in his lap.  
“Lui seemed to like me, if that helps you feel any better.”  
Nogla slowly faded back to view, turning to look at Evan with a thin-lipped pout.  
“What do you want?”  
A small frown tugged itself onto Evan’s face, and the writer shrugged,  
“Just wanted to make sure you were okay.”  
“I’m fine.”  
Lui hissed, and Evan scoffed,  
“I think Lui disagrees.”  
Nogla glared at the cocoon of scales around him, the pout growing on his lips,  
“Traitor.”  
Evan giggled, watching the prince again begin running his fingers along smooth scales. They sat there for a while, not in an awkward silence, but like they were both waiting for something to happen. Something important.

 

“Are you alone in this castle?”  
Evan asked eventually, leaning against the wall behind him as he still sat a bit away from the boy and his snake.  
“No,”  
Nogla murmured quietly, now untangled from the python that was coiled in his lap. They were both basking in the sun, Nogla’s hand never straying far from Lui’s comforting presence.  
“I have Lui.”  
“Any other people though?”  
Nogla was quiet for a moment before shaking his head.  
“Jus’ me. Me an’ Lui.”  
“May I ask what happened?”

 

Nogla went quiet again, petting Lui as the snake wound loosely around his wrist. The sun seemed to have cheered the two up a bit at least.  
“It was the Void.”  
“The Void?”  
Nogla nodded taking a deep breath as Lui slithered around his shoulders.  
“It started when my mom died. She was the Gifted here before me, and she died shortly after I was born. My mom was the Queen, and since the Queen usually rules here, my dad panicked a bit. He didn’t know anything about being ‘Gifted’ or what it meant, so he had our Royal Advisor go over my mom’s notes to teach me.”

Nogla’s face softened, a small smile pulling at his lips.   
‘Kevin was great. He made sure I was okay, and got me Lui when he was just a hatchling. I had always wanted a dog, but I was allergic. Since then we’ve been together for...ever really. And he worked his hardest to make sure he would know how to teach me everything my mom knew. I once caught him still reading over her notes one morning and he asked me why I was up at midnight.”  
Nogla’s smile fell.  
“Everything was fine. I asked Kevin if we could go on a hunt and he told me that we had to focus more on Gifted training. I insisted, and then he gave in and called for the royal horses.”  
Nogla paused, letting Lui settle in his hair again with a quiet hiss.  
“We found a deer trail and were following it when a pack of wolves attacked us. They were covered in the Void.”  
Nogla took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Evan opened his mouth to tell the kid he didn’t have to continue but when the prince opened his eyes again, they shimmered with determination.  
“Kevin told me to go back home and I did. Some of our servants found his and the horse’s body the next day.”  
“Nogla I-”  
“That’s not all,”  
The prince continued, slit eyes glazed as he retold everything he had bottled up for so long.  
“The King told our people to be careful, and everything was quiet for a few days. Then those on the outskirts started reporting Void vines, and my dad had new, bigger homes to house more families built closer to the castle. Then the vines started climbing the castle, and my dad sent most of the servants back to their families. It was just us, a maid, and a chef.   
“Then the wolves were back. They came in and destroyed everything. Killed the maid. And the chef. My dad told me to hide but I didn’t want to leave him! Not like I did Kevin…”  
Nogla fell quiet again, running dazed fingers along Lui.  
“The wolves came in and my dad shoved me in his closet. I went invisible and listened as my dad died.”

The two sat in somber silence as Evan stared at the prince.  
“I stayed here because I didn’t want to burden any families with caring for me. I’m their *prince*, their-their *king*. They shouldn’t have to care for me. Lui had escaped his terrarium when the wolves came, so I just let him slither where he wanted to. He always came back anyway.”  
Nogla sighed, stroking the top of Lui’s head as the snake let out a pleased hiss.  
“I still hunt and cook for myself. There is a nearby stream for water that is still clean, I’ve survived.”  
Evan hummed softly, glancing at the king from where he was again wrapped in emerald scales.  
“I’m so sorry Nogla.”  
The Green Gifted shrugged, a small smile on his face,  
“It’s fine- er- it is now. I feel better after talking about it.”  
Evan nodded, glancing at the door when voices could be heard wandering lost through the hall.  
Nogla looked as well, his shape fading slightly as he paused in petting Lui. Evan glanced between the king and the door, quickly realizing he needed to be the one to convince the kid to come with them. He shifted a bit closer to the king before speaking quietly,

“Are you ready to go back to them? We really need your help.”  
The Gifted flicked his slit eyes toward Evan, swallowing before asking,  
“With what?”  
Evan paused a moment, trying to remember what Tyler always said,  
“We’re gathering all the Gifteds to stop the Void from spreading and hurting more people. To stop what happened here from happening again.”  
Nogla turned back toward Lui, running a few fingers along the python’s head.  
“Can I bring Lui?”  
Evan quickly reasoned that the snake wouldn’t fare well on the journey, and bit his lip.  
He opened his mouth to tell the king when he spotted Joe in his lap.  
He gave the dog a pet before holding it out to Nogla.  
“I don’t think Lui will like how much walking we need to do, but if you want you can hold Joe! He always makes me feel better, and I know you mentioned wanting a dog.”  
Nogla stared at the stuffed dog for a second before slowly reaching for it and hugging it to his chest.  
A small smile made its way onto his face before he nodded.  
“I’ll help. I want to stop the Void.”  
Evan smiled and stood up, offering his hand to pull Nogla to his feet. The kid was hesitant, but did grab his hand.  
Evan slowly lead them to the hall, Lui wrapped around Nogla’s neck like a heavy scarf, and Joe gripped tightly in his hands.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!  
> Sorry updates have been limited but I'm hitting a horrible bout of writer's block recently.  
> I'll probably take another bit of a break (and I apologize profusely), but I think it's for the best.  
> When I come back, (and it should only be a month AT THE MOST) then my writing will be better and I would have figured out a bit more of the plot.  
> Hope you guys enjoy the chapter!  
> <3

When Evan walked out into the hall, the first one to spot him was Tyler. It looked like the Gifteds had gone on a search for the two shamrock-colored people, and when Tyler spotted Evan he dashed over and wrapped him in a tight hug.   
“You need to stop running off,”  
Tyler mumbled into his shoulder, his words slightly muffled by Evan’s shirt. Ignoring the heat that started to crawl up his cheeks, Evan said,  
“I-I know, but I got Nogla back.”  
Tyler pulled away at that, his silver eyes wide before glancing at the king behind Evan. Nogla flicked a nervous forked tongue out of his mouth, mimicking the python wrapped securely around his neck and shoulders.   
“Hey kid, you feel any better?”  
Tyler spoke softly, offering a slight smile while Nogla shuffled his feet.  
“I wanna help with the Void.”  
He stated, standing his ground against the taller man. Tyler blinked in surprise, then smiled wider.  
“I’m glad to hear it, Nogla. We’re lucky to have you.”  
The Green Gifted’s anxious expression softened into a breath of a smile.

Tyler turned back toward the rest of the hall, where the fire-colored Gifteds were waiting with curious and impatient expressions. He beckoned them over, and when they reached the smaller group Tyler began,  
“Alright! We got Nogla, and he’s willing to help. That means I just need to find something to make the Blue Portal.”  
Brian rolled his eyes at the comment, but Craig and Anthony offered Nogla friendly smiles before Craig asked Tyler,  
“So where do you find the things for the portal?”  
The Gray Gifted shrugged, tucking his hands into his hoodie pockets before strolling back toward the others, Evan and Nogla in tow.  
“Depends, I just need to walk around a bit.”  
“I can show you around, if that’ll help,”  
Nogla offered, his slit pupils dilating a little at the prospect. Tyler glanced back at the king, smiling wider before nodding.  
“Sure, I’d be honored to be given a tour by the prince.”  
“King,”  
Nogla corrected, holding Joe to his chest. Tyler paused before allowing a solemn smile to settle on his features.  
“By the king.”

The tour was quiet, Nogla murmuring quiet facts about torn tapestries or remembering the servants who slept in their quarters. The group was lead through his parent’s room, the throne room (which was reduced to rubble and mangled vines), and the vast dining room and kitchen before heading outside. Out in the garden, there were little signs of living crops. Most of them had been strangled by the Vines, or devoured by the remaining wildlife. Said wildlife was nowhere to be seen, and Evan stayed beside Tyler through the unnerving quiet.  
Evan never thought he could miss the loud voices of Yellow or even Orange, but the deafening silence was too quiet.  
They were walking past a river and pond when Tyler flinched, nearly missing his next step when his head flicked toward the water.  
“Tyler?”  
Evan asked cautiously, eyes flicking toward the group that continued without them before turning back toward his friend.   
“Ty? You okay?”  
The Gray Gifted finally seemed to shake himself from his daze, and glanced at Evan before walking toward the water.  
“I can feel a portal-opening. Let’s check it out.”

 

Evan opened his mouth to argue staying with the group, but the taller man was already scurrying down the emerald-clad and pebbly shore of the shamrock pond. Evan sighed but hurried after Tyler, nearly losing his footing a few times as Tyler followed the edge of the pond and down a trickling stream. The writer almost didn’t see the thin line of water, but as it soon joined another bigger river, there was a dim rumbling sound that gave the forest its sound back. The two trekked through the vegetation, Tyler helping the smaller down a few of the steeper drop-offs. Eventually, the roaring grew louder, and with it thin tendrils of Void Vines.  
As quick as the Vines had appeared, they were gone again, some of the ones on the ground even starting to twist away from the direction they were walking in.  
Evan wasn’t sure if he should be scared of or grateful for whatever lie at their destination. 

They suddenly broke through the tree cover and entered a wide clearing, void of any plants except for the small chartreuse grass shoots that coated the otherwise muddy ground. In the center of the clearing was another deeper pond, with a loud and gurgling waterfall that fell into its center.   
Vines could be seen peeking from trees or branching like roots from the foliage, but the clearing remained clear of the dark streaks of Void. There was a distinct **crack** that echoed through the glade, and one of the larger Vines fell into the river that fed the waterfall.   
Instantly, black smoke curled from the Vine, and with a vicious hiss it began to curl up and die, everywhere the water splashed or splattered onto a Vine causing it to sizzle like embers. When the Vine had faded into ash and smoke, the river, previously damned with the Void, flowed freely once more.  
Evan swallowed.  
He knew why nothing dared to grow in the clearing.

“This is it,”  
Tyler muttered, hardly audible over the thundering water,  
“The Blue Portal opens here.”  
“Should we get the others?”  
Evan called, glancing at the Void that now dripped over Tyler’s fingers. When the droplets touched the grass, they vanished like water on asphalt.   
“Yeah, I’ll stay here,”  
Tyler added with a nod of his head, beginning to walk toward the water.  
“ ** _Wait_**!”

Evan caught his wrist, Tyler whipping around in shock. The world around him flickered for a second, the water and sky a clear and bright azure, and Tyler’s eyes glinting ice-blue before the color vanished and the Gifted wrenched his hand away. Now-silver irises widened in fear as Tyler stared at Evan.   
“E-Evan! Y-Y-You can’t do that!”  
Evan blinked at the sudden change in light and color, shaking his head slightly to clear it from the overwhelming experience before looking back at Tyler.  
“Wh-why not?”  
“The Void, Evan! You...you could get hurt.”  
Tyler’s voice lost the alarm it had carried as he calmed down, taking a deep breath before asking,  
“Why’d you tell me to wait?”  
Evan opened his mouth to speak, but it took a few more attempts before he could actually form words.  
“You saw what that water did to the Vine, how do you know it won’t hurt you?”  
Tyler paused, glancing from the fern green water and back toward Evan.   
“...I don’t know. But I need to try, I need to open the Portal.”  
Evan clenched his jaw, swallowing before taking a slow step back.  
“I want to make sure you don’t get hurt before I go.”

Tyler sighed and shook his head.  
“Evan…”  
“Please! I...I need to know.”  
The Gray Gifted paused, then caved in.  
“Fine. Then come back with the others.”  
Evan nodded his agreement, watching carefully as Tyler stepped into the water.  
There was a hissing sound whenever the Void dripped off the Gifted’s fingers, but otherwise, Tyler seemed fine.  
“See,”  
The Gray Gifted turned back toward Evan with a smile,  
“I’m fine, go get the others.”  
Evan still hesitated, but nodded before stepping back into the forest.  
He paused in the undergrowth, sending one last look toward his friend as the taller man looked back at the spotless water.  
He lowered his Void-covered hand toward the pond, hissing and yanking his hand back when it made an ugly burning sound.  
Tyler was quick to scan the trees, presumably looking for Evan to see if he had watched him get burned.  
The writer ducked behind a tree, waiting until Tyler looked at the waterfall to hurry back toward the other Gifteds.

Evan followed the thin stream back to the loosely stoned path that ran around the crops. He couldn’t immediately spot the bright colors of the displaced Gifteds, which worried him a bit, but he decided he’d try to ignore the anxiety for as long as he could.   
He followed the trail a bit, calling out the Gifted’s names and receiving no answer.  
He did nearly trip over a snake, and as the python hissed lowly at him, it took him a moment to recognize the reptile.  
“Oh, hey Lui. Where’s Nogla and the others?”

The python stared at him for a moment before turning, slithering along the path for a moment before lifting its head to look behind him.  
“Do you… want me to follow you?”  
Lui gave the human a little nod of his head, which was more of an answer than Evan was expecting, and he promptly walked alongside the python as it slithered down the cobble path.

It wasn’t a long journey, the snake leading Evan to a small gazebo-like building where the fiery Gifteds were bright against the juniper surroundings.  
Nogla was idly tying a chartreuse flower into the stuffed dog’s fur when he glanced up, his face splitting wide with a smile as he ran up to the human and snake.  
“Lui! Thank you for finding him,”  
The python let out a low hiss, raising its head to begin slithering up the King’s leg.  
“Where’s Gray?”  
Nogla asked, turning to Evan with a tilt of his head.  
“He found the portal opening, we need to go meet him so we can reach Blue!”  
Evan said, making sure he spoke loud enough so the Gifteds who had started walking toward them could hear as well.  
“He found the portal?”  
Anthony asked as he came closer, smile wide and his furry ears pricked with excitement.  
“Yep! Let’s go!”  
Evan hurried to lead them back to the pond, trying not to let his nerves of Tyler hurting himself or the sparkling excitement at the prospect of another new world hinder his leading them through the forest.

Evan managed to find the first pond off the path, trailing the trickle of the stream until he saw the tendrils of Void that slunk through the undergrowth. He followed them until they began turning back and the small group broke through the foliage.   
Tyler was still standing in the water, his hands lifted toward the waterfall as a pocket in the center spiraled slowly, the water twisting hypnotically.  
The Gray Gifted cast a glance over his shoulder, smiling at the sight of the group before he turned back toward the half-formed portal.  
“Thank you Evan,”  
He called over the roaring droplets, the bags under his eyes growing darker as the sage-colored water spiraled in front of him.

The group sat in careful quiet as they watched Tyler work (not that there was much to do in the silent forest). Anthony and Craig spoke in cheerful quips, Nogla petting Lui who was again wrapped around him, whispering small comments to the reptile as Joe was sat in his lap. Brian was raking his claws through the short grass, his vermillion eyes unfocused as he stared at the water, his bloody cape splayed around him like a puddle of velvet. Evan just kept a careful watch on Tyler, watching as the Gifted teetered on his feet as Void curtains finally spilled from the tumbling hole in the waterfall.

“I did it…”  
Tyler gasped, stumbling backward before Evan caught him on the edge of the water. The bags under his eyes were dark and heavy, like he hadn’t slept in a week instead of only a few hours earlier.   
“Are you okay?”  
Evan pressed, worriedly helping Ty sit down in the grass with his feet still in the crystalline water.  
“‘M fine, ‘m fine…”  
The Gifted slurred tiredly, yawning before his head drooped,  
“We need to go, can he stand?”  
Brian asked, standing up as he blinked from whatever trance he had been in. Evan glanced at the Red Gifted and nodded, pulling Tyler to his feet as Craig and Anthony settled their conversation and Nogla pressed desperate farewells to Lui.  
When they all stood in front of (or in) the pond, Lui curled up nearby and watching, Evan spoke softly,  
“Let’s go to Blue.”


End file.
